


Fire In The Cold

by Wayhaughtterthanthat



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ski Lodge, F/F, Family Secrets, Family Vacation, Wayhaught - Freeform, Winter Break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-01-04 18:54:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 96,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18349673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaughtterthanthat/pseuds/Wayhaughtterthanthat
Summary: After a recent loss in the family, Nicole's mom takes her and her siblings on vacation to a Ski Lodge that they used to visit when they were kids. While on vacation, Nicole becomes quickly reacquainted with Waverly, who she knew when they were younger because their father's used to be best friends. As the trip goes on, Waverly and Nicole become closer as a pair and end up helping Wynonna uncover some secrets of the past and the truth about what really happened to Waverly's dad years ago.





	1. Chapter 1

Nicole Haught sat the kitchen table, leaned back in a chair with a pair of earbuds in her ears, flipping mindlessly through her phone. She had her head propped up with her hand, elbow on the table, feet up on another nearby chair. 

The door swung open and her mother, Andrea, walked in with grocery bags in both arms, setting the bags down on the counter. She glanced up at her daughter, hoping for some help.

“Nicky!” Andrea called out, waving her arm to get her daughter’s attention. 

Nicole looked up at her mother, acknowledging that she knew she was there, she took her ear buds out of her ears. Without words, her facial expression showed that she was listening.

“Can you help the twins get the rest of the groceries?” Andrea asked.

Nicole nodded, setting her phone on the table, and walked out to the car, grabbing as many bags as she can carry in one shot. She winked at her siblings as she walked by them.

“Show off,” her brother, Daniel, huffed.

Nicole laughed as she carried the bags back into the house, setting the groceries on the counter and returning to the same position she was in before her mother walked in. Her siblings started to rummage through the bags of food as their mother swatted them away.

“We’re starving!” Nicole’s sister, Megan, whined.

“You’re not starving,” Andrea laughed. “Let me at least put this food away!” she told them.

“Fine!” Megan huffed, leaning up against the counter, watching her mother, intensely, as she pulled food out of the grocery bags.

“So I was thinking,” Andrea began. “I would be nice to go to a ski resort for vacation this year.”

“A ski resort?” Daniel asked, not really feeling the idea.

“Yeah, I figured it would be kind of cool,” Andrea smiled. “You guys love to snowboard and we haven’t been in a while.”

“Kind of cool? How about kind of cold?! Why can’t we go somewhere warm?” Daniel whined.

“We live somewhere warm, doofus!” Megan huffed.

“Don’t call your brother a doofus!” Andrea scolded them. “Nicky, honey, what do you think?”

No answer. 

“Nicole?” Andrea repeated, waving a hand in the air.  

Nicole pulled her earbud out of one of her ears when she realized her mother wanted her attention. “Huh?” 

“What do you think about going to a ski resort over the kids’ break from school?” she repeated. “It’ll be fun to have a family vacation before you return to school next month.”

“Oh, yeah, sure mom,” Nicole said, plainly. 

“Wow, I see I have 3 happy kids,” she laughed. 

“It’s good, mom,” Nicole smiled. 

“Sure! Let her decide!” Her brother spat. “Nicky! Wouldn’t you rather go to the beach? We can check out girls at the beach!” 

“Can’t you check out girls at a ski lodge?” Megan asked. 

“Yeah, sure, girls in snow suits,” he rolled his eyes. 

“Leaves more up for imagination,” Nicole winked. 

“You two are gross,” Megan huffed as she left the room. 

“Listen, Nicole and I just have a fine appreciation for women. Fine women,” Daniel laughed as he followed his twin sister out of the room. 

“Hey, Nicky, thank you,” Andrea said. 

“For what?” she asked, removing the other earbud from her ear. 

“I think this trip will be good for us,” she told her. 

“Yeah, mom, I agree,” Nicole said plainly. She honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea in general, but she would do whatever it took to make her mom happy too.

“Do you really?” Andrea questioned her further. 

“It’s fine, mom,” Nicole smiled softly, knowing her mother could see right through her. 

“I miss him too, Nicky,” her mother said, joining her daughter at the table. Nicole slowly looked up at her mother, smiling softly. She didn’t want to make everything about her father’s death, but it hadn’t even been a year yet. To be honest, she hadn’t really spent much time talking about how she felt about it with anyone at all.

“Look, baby, it’s the first Christmas without him and I figured maybe it would be good to spend some family time away from the house,” her mother explained.

“Dad loved to snowboard,” Nicole said, softly. 

“A little tribute?” Andrea smiled. “I figured I’d take you to the one we took you to as a kid.”

“It’ll be fun,” Nicole smiled softly at her mom. She was unsure if she believed the words that came out of her mouth, but she was willing to try for her mom. 

“Do you think the twins will be okay with it?” Andrea asked. “I don’t think they remember much of our trips out there.”

“I’ll talk to them,” Nicole told her as she stood up from the table. 

“Thanks, baby,” she smiled.

Nicole smiled and nodded at her mother as she walked by her. She made her way into the living room where she saw her siblings sitting on opposite sides of the couch from each other. Megan was sitting with her feet curled up into her body, leaning on the arm of the couch, face in her phone. Daniel was slouched, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, video game controller in his hand. 

“Hey guys,” Nicole said as she entered the living room.

“What’s up?” Megan asked, looking up at her sister.

“So mom’s worried you guys aren’t going to like the trip,” Nicole stated, plopping down on the couch next to her brother.  

“Are you going to like it?” Megan asked. 

“It was fun when we were younger. The family that owns it is really nice from what I remember. But really, it doesn’t really matter what I think,” Nicole told her.

“It does though, Nicole,” Megan told her.

“I don’t know, Meg, but it means a lot to mom,” Nicole said.

“You really gotta stop making so many sacrifices for other people, Nicky,” Megan sighed. “You matter too, you know.”

“I know, Meg, but don’t worry about that, okay?” Nicole looked over at her sister. “That’s not on you guys.”

“But why a ski lodge?” Daniel asked, pausing the game and looking up at his sister.

“Mom thinks it’ll be a good tribute to dad. You guys know how much he loved the snow. Look, it could be fun,” she assured them. 

“Do you really believe that?” Megan asked. “We haven’t been around snow since before he got sick. And mom’s on this ‘family bonding’ kick,” she rolled her eyes.

“She just wants to make sure everyone is okay,” Nicole told her. “It’s been a long year and it would be kind of nice to get out of the house. You know mom doesn’t ski or board, so it’s not like you’re going to have to spend all your time with her,” she laughed, winking at her sister.

“Okay, but if she starts with her ‘cool mom’ routine, I’m out,” Megan laughed, throwing up a peace sign with her fingers.

“Hey, listen, I guess if are going to have to go, we might as well check out the vacation snow bunnies,” Daniel winked. 

“He’s out of control!” Megan huffed, standing up from the couch.

Nicole laughed. “Reel it in, man,” she winked.   
  


By the end of the week, Andrea Haught was on her typical ‘frantic packing rampage’ as her children called it. Nicole was in her room, suitcase on the bed, folding clothes and packing them into it. She heard her door swing open and quickly shut behind her. Turning around, she saw her brother with a look of panic on his face.

“You okay?” Nicole laughed.

“She’s made her way into my room!” Daniel said quickly. 

Nicole laughed. “Did you finish packing?”

“No, that’s what she’s for,” Daniel huffed. “You know I just pretend to not get things done quick enough. I know how to play the system, Nicky,” he smiled, dimples showing.

“You’re almost 15, Danny,” she laughed. 

“Yeah, and you bet your ass I’m going to milk this for all it’s worth for as long as I can,” he laughed, laying back on his sister’s bed. “I mean, you look like you could use some help,” he laughed, looking at Nicole’s suitcase.

“I was...distracted,” Nicole said, holding her phone up.

“Who’s distracting you now?” Daniel asked, sitting up, trying to look at his sister’s phone.

“Yeah, no,” Nicole laughed, pulling it further away from his face. 

Nicole smiled at her brother as she typed quickly into her phone and slid it quickly back into her pocket.

“So, Shae,” Daniel said. “Are you guys finally going to date each other?” he asked.

“Probably not,” Nicole said, honestly. 

“Why not?” Daniel asked.

“Why do you have so many questions right now?” Nicole asked, placing a stack of shirts into her suitcase. 

“Bored,” he laughed. “But really, you’ve been back and forth with that girl for years!”

“Listen, Shae’s nice, but I don’t really see it being a thing,” Nicole explained. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Damn, I’d just take a girl that looks at me like she looks at you,” Daniel laughed. 

“You might want a few more qualifications than that, bro,” she winked. 

“Okay, so what if you go to this ski lodge and you find a girl who’s like ‘dayummm girl’ and-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Nicole laughed, cutting her brother off. “Look, I don’t lie to Shae. We’re not together. She’s a good friend and we both know that if someone else comes along, then we won’t stop each other. But unlike you, my brother, I’m not looking to jump any girl with legs,” she winked. 

“Listen, a man has needs,” Daniel said, throwing his hands up in the air.

“You’re disgusting,” Nicole said, matter of factly, pushing her brother, playfully on the shoulder. 

“Daniel!” The stern sound of their mother’s voice came through Nicole’s door.

“She beckons,” Nicole winked.

Daniel groaned and stood up from his sister’s bed. “Do you think I can just hide in here?” he asked, desperately. 

“She’ll find you,” Nicole laughed as she watched her brother slump his shoulders and make his way to her door, peeking out into the hallway before walking out of the room. 

Nicole laughed, shaking her head at her younger brother, as she turned back to continue packing her suitcase. 

 

The early morning drive to the airport was filled with Andrea trying to make small talk with her kids while they ignored her for the majority of the ride. When they arrived at the airport, Andrea pulled into the parking garage and parked the car. She turned to her son who was sitting in the front seat. “You guys ready?” she asked. 

Daniel was leaning up against the window, phone in hand, scrolling through photos on a social media website. There was no response when their mother spoke.

“Guys!” Andrea called out.

“Yeah?” Nicole responded from the backseat, one eye cracked open.

“We’re at the airport,” Andrea said, partly annoyed.

“Oh shit, sorry mom,” Nicole yawned.

“Watch your mouth,” Andrea warned.

“Sorry,” Nicole apologized quickly.  

Nicole nudged her sister slightly, waking her up. She groaned as she opened her eyes to see Nicole looking back at her. They all exited the vehicle, making their way around to the trunk to remove their luggage. 

“You know, I figured you’d be a little more excited to be leaving,” Andrea told her children. 

“Mom, it’s so early!” Megan whined. 

“You’re young, you’ll get over it,” Andrea winked, leading her children into the airport. 

 

After making their way through security check in, the Haught family sat in seats near their airline gate. Megan and Daniel pulled their phones out immediately and started scrolling and texting. Nicole plugged in her headphones and leaned back in her seat. She lifted her feet up, resting them on her suitcase in front of her and closed her eyes. 

Nicole was woken 20 minutes later to her mother slightly shaking her shoulder. “Nicky, we board soon,” Andrea smiled at her daughter.

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole said, in a sleepy tone. 

Nicole stood up from her seat and stretched her arms above her head, yawning. She felt her phone start to vibrate in her pocket and she removed it to see Shae was calling her. Nicole hit the side button on her phone to ignore the call and noticed her mother looking up at her. 

“Who’s that?” Andrea asked, curiously. 

“Shae, I’ll tell her I’ll talk to her later or something,” Nicole said, plainly. 

“I’m sure she’s just excited for you to get back from vacation and to see you again before you have to go back to school again,” Andrea winked.

“Yeah, mom, it’s not really like that,” Nicole laughed. 

“Well, I can’t keep up with that relationship anymore!” Andrea threw her hands in the air. 

“There’s nothing to keep up with,” Nicole winked. She felt eyes on her and she glanced to her right to see her sister looking back at her. 

“I gotta pee,” Megan told her. “Do you want to come with me?” 

Nicole nodded at her sister and followed her down the airport terminal. 

“So when are you going to tell her?” Megan asked as soon as they were far enough away from their mother.

“Tell her what?” Nicole asked, pretending to not know what she was talking about.

“That you’re not going back to school next month,” Megan said, looking up at her sister.

“When she realizes I didn’t go?” Nicole laughed.

“Nicole, I’m serious,” Megan told her. “She’s gonna be mad if you don’t tell her.”

“Please, Meg, she’s going to be mad when I do tell her,” Nicole shrugged. “Look, maybe school just isn’t for me. At least not now. I’ll get a job.”

“You gotta tell her,” he sister warned. 

“I know,” Nicole groaned. “Why do you have to always be right?” she laughed.

“I’m the smart Haught,” Megan winked. “I mean, I didn’t mean that you’re not smart.” Her sister tried to backtrack realizing that what she said may have hit a sore spot with Nicole.

“It’s cool,” Nicole smiled. “I screwed up. I don’t think I was ready to take classes yet. I had way too much going on.”

“Remember that what you want matters though,” Megan assured her. “Stop doing things that only benefit us. You’ve been taking care of us for 8 years.”

“You do what you have to,” Nicole told her, shrugging it off. “You’re my family, I’m not going to ever take back anything I did for you guys.”

“And I appreciate it, but it’s your turn now, Nicky,” Megan winked. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole sighed, smiling at her sister.

 

The flight seemed to take forever, especially for Daniel, who seemed to be becoming more restless as the flight went on. “Do you want to play a game?” he asked, looking over at his older sister, who was listening to music next to him. 

Nicole saw her brother look at her and pulled an earbud out of her one ear. “Huh?” she asked. 

“Wanna play a game?” he repeated. He appeared to be uncomfortable.

“Are you bored?” she laughed, taking her other earbud out. 

“I’m not a big fan of planes,” Daniel whispered to his sister.

“I know, bud. But I think we’re almost there,” she winked. “But your secret is safe with me,” she told him. 

Nicole and Daniel spent the rest of the flight playing random games like rock, paper, scissors and I-Spy. When the plane landed, the family departed the plane, making their way through the airport to baggage claim. 

 

They arrived at the ski resort later that day. As they drove into the property, Nicole glanced out the window, earbuds in her ears, music blasting. She took in the familiar sites of several cabins spread across the property. She noticed the mountain with ski lifts running up one side, the people riding down the slopes, the blue of the sky contrasting perfectly against the white of the snow. Nicole took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. She smiled to herself at the sight, feeling more comfortable with the idea of this family vacation, remembering the experiences she had here when she was younger. 

Climbing out of the parked car, Nicole grabbed her suitcase and continued to look around her, taking in the sights. Her mother glanced back at her and smiled. “What do you guys think?” she asked.

Daniel and Megan’s eyes lit up as they looked around them. 

“It’s pretty cool, mom,” Nicole smiled. 

“Let me go check in so we can. go check out this suite,” Andrea winked as she started to walk toward the main building. 

Nicole and her siblings followed slowly behind, making their way into the building. When they entered, they say their mom talking with an older, grey haired woman by the front desk. 

“Hey guys,” Andrea said to her children. “I want you guys to meet a friend of mine. This is Gus Gibson, owner of the resort,” she smiled. “Nicole, you remember Gus?” 

“It’s been a while, but I do,” Nicole smiled, reaching out to shake Gus’ hand. 

Gus stopped and looked at the three children, before looking back at Andrea and smiling. “They’re beautiful,” she said to her. “Nice to see you again, kids,” she smiled back at Nicole and the twins. 

“Nice to see you too,” they said, smiling back. 

 

As they made their way across the property to the cabin that they would be staying in, the three Haught kids took in the sites around them, hardly watching where they were walking. 

“Hey, so, Gus asked if we wanted to get together tomorrow night with her and her nieces, they work here as well. You remember Wynonna and Waverly, right, Nicky?” Andrea asked. 

“Vaguely,” Nicole laughed. “It’s been a while, but it would be nice to see them again.”

“You and Waverly were inseparable when you were little!” Andrea smiled. “It would be nice for you to have a friend,” she told her.

“Damn, mom thinks you’re a loser,” Daniel joked. 

“Daniel Joseph-” Andrea warned.

“Sorry, mom,” he dropped his head and snickered under his breath. 

“I just want you to try and have some fun too,” Andrea said to Nicole. 

“I mean, I did just do a semester of college mom, I did have some fun,” she laughed. “You’re all so worried about my happiness lately,” she said as shook her head.

“I know, Nicky,” Andrea smiled, opening the door of the family suite. 

When they entered the suite, Nicole glanced around the room. The suite wasn’t huge but it was roomy. It had a main living room with a couch and a couple of chairs facing a flat screen tv. There was a nearby bathroom on one side of the room and a small kitchen on the other. There were two bedrooms, one with a queen sized bed and one with a twin bed and a set of bunk bed.

“I’m not sleeping on the top bunk!” Daniel called out as he raced into the bedroom. 

Nicole laughed and shook her head at her brother. “I’ll take it,” she said with a smile. She placed her bag down on a bed and made her way back out into the living room, noticing a balcony off the back of the main room. She opened up the door and walked out onto the balcony, looking out at the killer view of the mountains. She heard the door slide open behind her and looked back to see her brother behind her. 

“What’s up, Danny?” Nicole asked, turning back around, leaning on the railing and enjoying the view.

“Mom’s being weird,” he stated, laughing slightly.

“What’s new?” Nicole laughed.

“She wants you to be best friends with the owners daughter?” he asked.

“It’s her niece,” Nicole laughed. “And she didn’t say best friends.”

“Well apparently you used to be best friends,” he laughed. 

“Look, you don’t need to be jealous that I’m going to make friends,” Nicole teased. “I don’t even think I’d recognize Waverly anymore. We were like 10,” she laughed. 

“But what if she’s totally hot and into chicks now?” Daniel asked, nudging his sister playfully. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Nicole laughed. 

“Okay, okay, but this place is kind of rad,” he smiled. “You were right.”

“Aren’t I always?” she asked, winking at her brother.

“Whoa, check out that chick!” Daniel called out, pointing down below to a girl walking by their cabin. 

“Tell her a little louder, bro, she can’t hear you,” Nicole laughed, glancing down below to see the girl he was talking about walking by. 

“Shut up, maybe I want her to hear me!” Daniel scoffed.

“Whatever,” Nicole laughed. 

“Oh you don’t think I can get a girl that looks that good?” Daniel asked. 

“Listen, bro, you can try,” she laughed. 

“Ten bucks?” Daniel put his hand out to shake Nicole’s. 

“No way!” She threw her hands up. “I am not making bets on girls. That never ends well. Please take my advice on that,” she laughed. 

“Fine! But I think I’m going to go talk to her,” Daniel said, looking back down at the girl below. 

“You do you,” Nicole laughed. 

Nicole glanced back down at the girl below. She noticed her light brown hair, flowing past her face and the squint of her eyes in the sun. The girl looked up in their direction and Daniel quickly jumped back toward the room door. 

“Shit!” he whispered loudly.

Nicole looked back at her brother and started to laugh. The girl below smiled in her direction, slightly shaking her head. Nicole gave the girl a soft, dimpled smile as she watched her look back in the direction that she was walking. Nicole’s eyes lingered a little longer on the girl as she walked out of view. Nicole had a feeling that there was something familiar about her. 

“Oh, come on!” Daniel huffed.

“What?” Nicole asked as she turned to face her brother.

“You always get the girls!” he whined.

Nicole started to laugh. “What?”

“I claimed her!” Daniel told her.

“Listen, bud, you don’t claim girls. They’re not someone’s property. And I was just...observing,” she winked.

“Okay, fine! Take her! I’m sure there’s more around here. I heard there’s hot tubs,” he winked.

“I’m beginning to agree with Megan,” Nicole laughed. “You’re ridiculous,” she said as she playfully pushed her brother’s shoulder and walked back into the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad you guys are liking this story so far! Here’s chapter 2! I hope you continue to read!

_ The room was dark and Waverly’s eyes shot open when she heard a loud yelling from outside her window. She sat up quickly in bed and made her way to the window, keeping low to the ground. She peered slowly through the window to see a few men out the window, only two that she recognized.  _

_ “Daddy?” Waverly whispered, continuing to watch the scene unfolding below her.  _

_ Her father and another man, who Waverly recognized as her father’s best friend, Joe, stood next to each other. He was tall, red-haired and handsome. A tall, scruffy looking man stood across from them. There were a few other unrecognizable men standing behind him. _

_ “You had time, Earp,” the tall, scruffy man said. _

_ “Robert, it doesn’t have to come down to this,” Ward Earp said, panic in his voice.  _

_ Waverly gasped when she saw the man lift his right arm toward her father, pointing a gun in his direction.  _

_ “Okay, Robert, listen,” Joe chimed in. “Put the gun down, it doesn’t have to end this way. We can figure this out.” _

_ “Sure! It’s so easy for you two,” Robert huffed. “Look at your perfect lives! Remember when this was our dream? Must have been real easy to leave me behind!” _

_ “That’s not what it was, things changed, Robert!” _

_ “No man left behind,” Robert laughed, almost a cackle. “That’s what we always said,” he shook his head. _

_ “Why do you think we’re here now?” Joe asked. _

_ “Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?” Robert asked, shaking the gun toward Ward again. _

_ “He has kids, Robert,” Joe said, softly.  _

_ “We were just kids,” Robert laughed.  _

_ “You don’t think we tried to help you?” Ward asked. _

_ “Don’t tell me you tried! You gave up on me!” Robert huffed as he glanced back at the men behind him and nodded. _

_ The other men pulled their guns out and aimed them toward Ward. Ward and the other man put their hands up and stepped back away from Robert. _

_ “Robert, please,” Ward pleaded. _

_ The was a sudden sound of a gunshot from the distance. Waverly’s eyes grew big as she continued to watch. Her father dropped to the ground, lifeless. Waverly gasped, trying to scream but no sound came out. She quickly crawled back to her bed, climbing in and pulling the covers up to her face.  _

_ “Wynonna!” she was finally able to scream. “Wynonna! Wynonna! Wynonna!” _

“Waves,” Wynonna said, gently shaking her younger sister. “Waverly, wake up, you’re dreaming!”

Waverly’s eyes shot open to see her older sister sitting over her on the bed. Her breathing was heavy, but she began to relax when she realized it was just a dream.

“Waves, are you okay?” Wynonna asked, concerned, hand still resting on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I was just dreaming,” Waverly said, her voice cracked slightly.

“The same dream?” Wynonna asked, knowingly. 

“About daddy,” Waverly said softly.

“Anything new to the dream?” Wynonna asked. 

“No, I’m still a little kid and I hear them fighting. I go to the window and I don’t recognize the other men, just daddy and Joe.” 

“You’ve had that dream every day week, it seems,” Wynonna told her. She gave her sister a sympathetic look. 

“I know, I don’t know what that’s about,” Waverly sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. “What time is it?”

“7:00am,” Wynonna yawned. 

“Sorry for waking you,” Waverly said, apologetically. 

“Hey, don’t be, early bird gets the worm,” Wynonna winked.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?” Waverly asked, skeptically. 

Wynonna laughed. “She’s still here, she’ll be napping by noon,” Wynonna winked.

“Noon?” Waverly laughed. “I’m surprised you think you’ll make it they late,” she winked.

“Okay, babygirl, don’t push it! You on breakfast this morning?” Wynonna asked. 

Waverly nodded as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I saw there were some new families checking in, figured I’d be friendly,” she smiled.

“Kiss ass,” Wynonna pretended to cough. She liked to pick on her sister but deep down she admired her commitment to the resort. 

“What’s wrong with getting to know the guests?” Waverly asked.

“Nothing, I guess,” Wynonna shrugged as she laughed slightly. “I’ve gotten to know a few guests here and there,” she winked.

“Not really what I meant,” Waverly laughed. 

“Just saying,” Wynonna laughed. “Okay, I’m going back to bed.” she said, standing up from Waverly’s bed.

“What happened to early bird gets the worm?” Waverly laughed as she watched her sister head out of her room.

“You didn’t actually believe that, did you?” Wynonna laughed.

“Don’t forget Gus wants us to do dinner with the Haught family tonight,” Waverly reminded her sister.

“Oh, come on!” Wynonna whined, dramatically throwing her hands in the air. 

“It’s important to her,” Waverly told her.

“It’s been years since we’ve seen them! How awkward is this going to be?” Wynonna asked. 

“It won’t be if you don’t make it that way,” Waverly warned. 

“Do you think that’s why you’ve been dreaming about daddy and Joe so much?” Wynonna asked. “Did they bring bad juju?” 

“Bad juju?” Waverly laughed. “I’m not sure why I’ve been dreaming so much, maybe it is because I knew they were coming.” 

“Well look, at least you get to see Nicole Haught Pants again,” Wynonna winked. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Waverly asked.

“You guys were inseparable as kids!” Wynonna remembered. 

“Yeah until the last time she was here when we were teenagers and she completely ignored me,” Waverly sighed.

“Ignored you?” Wynonna asked.

“Okay, well, not exactly, but she was too busy macking on other girls to blink an eye at me,” Waverly stated. 

“Okay, well, you were like 13 then. You barely even had boobs,” Wynonna laughed. “You still holding that grudge?” 

“No, I haven’t really thought about until now,” Waverly laughed. 

“Well, now that you aren’t teenagers anymore, I think you could probably reconcile your differences,” Wynonna winked. 

Waverly shook her head at her sister as she left the room. She took a deep breath and rolled over, climbing out of bed. She shuffled around the room for a bit, grabbing clothes for the day and made her way into the bathroom across the hall from her bedroom. 

Waverly turned the water on, adjusting the temperature before she stepped slowly into the shower. She stood directly under the water of the shower, allowing it to cascade down her head, over her face. Waverly sighed and rubbed her face with her hands, attempting to get rid of the feeling she had after waking up with that dream again. She wasn’t sure what was causing it to repeat in her head or why it was placed there in the first place, but she was hoping maybe it was just her nerves about seeing her friend from the past stairs. Waverly hadn’t seen or talked to Nicole Haught in years. Would they even have anything in common?

After her shower, Waverly made her way down to the main mess hall to help the staff with breakfast. She liked to clean and reset the tables so she could mingle with the guests. She laughed off Wynonna’s jokes about her being personable with the guests, but she found it important for the guests to know that the staff and owners were friendly and truly appreciated their business.

She turned the corner into the room to find a few families already sitting at tables, enjoying breakfast before they hit the slopes for the day. She briefly scanned the room and her eyes quickly locked on a family on the other side of the room. The mother sat on one side of the table and her three, red headed children sat across from her. Waverly swallowed hard as she quickly recognized the family as the Haught family that she hadn’t seen in years. The two younger children, now in their teens, were about 4 years old the last time they had visited the resort. 

She picked up a rag and began to wipe some of the tables down on the other side of the room, glancing up every once in a while at the family across the room. Waverly realized she had been wiping the same spot on the table, repetitively. She looked down at the table, noticing the shine of the spot where she had been wiping, then moved on to another table that was right next to where the Haught  family was sitting. She could now hear them interacting with each other. 

“So, what do you guys think?” Andrea asked. “Do you remember it at all?”

“Not really, but it’s pretty cool,” Megan smiled, glancing around the room. “And the food doesn’t suck.”

“Just pretty cool, Meg?” Andrea asked, giving her daughter a look that she knew all too well.

“Don’t start, mom,” Megan huffed.

“Start what? Aren’t I a cool mom?” Andrea asked with a wink. 

“Mom-” Nicole warned.

“Man, you guys liked me more when you were kids!” She said, throwing her hands up in the air. 

“You’re still cool, mom,” Daniel chimed in.

“Kiss ass,” Megan huffed under her breath.

“Mom!” Daniel whined. 

“Megan! Watch your mouth!” Andrea scolded her younger daughter.

“Sorry-” Megan said, lowering her head, pretending to show shame. She smirked slightly at her brother from across the table. 

Waverly looked up from the table that she was cleaning to glance back at the Haught family. She saw the brother nudging his older sister, gesturing in the direction that she was standing in. Waverly smiled and slightly shook her head. The tall, redhead turned slightly toward Waverly, flashing her a quick, dimpled smile. Waverly took a deep breath, mentally talking herself into saying hello. 

“Are you all enjoying breakfast?” Waverly asked, politely as she made her way over to the Haught’s table. 

“We are, thank you, Waverly,” Andrea smiled. “I’m not sure if you remember my kids, Nicole, Megan and Daniel.” Andrea pointed to each of her kids as she said their names. They all smiled politely, getting used to this action, realizing they’d be introduced like this every time they ran into someone their mother already knew here. 

“Of course,” she smiled, scanning the table, making eye contact with Nicole that was difficult to break. “I, uh, I hear we’re getting together tonight for dinner with my aunt,” she smiled, turning her head back toward Andrea. 

“Yes,” she smiled. “We figured it would be nice to catch up, it’s been too long.” 

“I should probably apologize ahead of time for my sister. Her mouth has only gotten worse over the years,” Waverly laughed. 

“Is she hot?” Daniel asked.

“I guess I also have to apologize for my brother,” Nicole laughed, nudging Daniel with her elbow.    
  


Later that day, Waverly was sitting on a bench outside at the bottom of the mountain, drinking a hot chocolate and watching people skiing and snowboarding their way to the bottom. She heard crunching of the snow behind her. The sound stopped next to her and she glanced up to see her aunt smiling back at her. Waverly scooted over into one side of the bench, gesturing for Gus to have a seat next to her.

“So your sister told me you’re having those dreams again,” Gus said as she took a seat on the bench next to her niece. 

“I’m fine, Gus,” Waverly told her, softly. She didn’t really like to talk about the dreams. In fact, it was really something she never wanted to think about. 

“I know, I know,” Gus told her. “But 4 times this week?”

“Maybe it’s just stress?” Waverly questioned. “I’ll be fine though, Gus. I promise.”

“If you ever need to talk about it,” Gus started.

“I know,” Waverly smiled. “Thank you.”

“So you think any of these new guests are going to be any good?” Gus asked, scanning the mountain.

Waverly and Gus liked to take time to sit back and watch guests on the mountain. There were the guests that were there mostly for show, they would hit the slopes from time to time, but mostly just walked around with skis or a snowboard to play the part, using the rest of the facilities that the resort had to offer. Then there were the guests that Waverly enjoyed to watch. They had more passionate for the sport and she could see the joy that it brought to them.

“The Haughts are pretty good,” Waverly gestured toward Nicole, Megan and Daniel, making their way to the ski lift. 

“They’ve always been naturals. Like they’re daddy,” Gus stated, leaning back more on the bench.

“It’s nice to see them back here,” Waverly said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

“It’s been far too long,” Gus sighed.

“I have to admit, I’m a little nervous,” Waverly said, softly. “What if we have nothing in common anymore?”

“I think it’ll feel more natural when we get together,” Gus smiled. “They’re really easy to get along with. I think you’ll be surprised,” the older woman winked at her niece. 

Waverly looked up to see Nicole making her way down the hill. Time seemed to slow down as she eyes fixated on the way the redhead maneuvered herself and her snowboard down the hill so smoothly. Waverly felt a smile appear on her face as she continued to stare. “She is really good,” Waverly stated, eyes still glued to the redhead.

Gus smiled back at her niece, who still hadn’t taken her eyes of Nicole as she descended down the hill and nodded in agreement. 

 

Later they evening, the Haughts were on their way over to dinner with Gus, Wynonna and Waverly. At the house, Gus was in the kitchen preparing the meal while Waverly set the table. Wynonna strolled in moments later, tasting the food as she walked through the kitchen. Gus playfully swatted at her hand. 

“Where have you been?” Waverly asked her sister. 

“Around,” Wynonna said, taking a bite of the dinner roll that she just took from the kitchen. 

“Descriptive,” Waverly rolled her eyes. There was a knock at the door and Waverly sighed, letting out some nerves before bouncing over to the door. 

She turned the handle and swung the door open to see the Haught family on the other side. She welcomed them with a nervous smile and moved to the side so they could come in. Dinner went more smoothly than Waverly had anticipated. She was beginning to feel more comfortable with the idea of having her friend back after all these years. When Nicole would talk, Waverly found herself staring longer than necessary. There was something so captivating about how the redhead carried herself that Waverly couldn’t get enough of.    
  


“Thank you for having us for dinner, Gus,” Andrea smiled as she helped carry dishes into the kitchen after dinner. 

“Oh of course, dear! It’s great to see you all again! I can’t believe how grown up everyone is!” Gus laughed.

“I still can’t believe it some days,” Andrea laughed. “So how has the resort business been?”

“It has its good days and it’s bad. I’ve thought about selling, but the girls won’t even hear me on the subject,” Gus explained. 

“I think it would be hard to see it go,” Andrea said. 

Waverly, who was standing near the doorway to the kitchen turned to walk out of the doorway. She walked past Nicole and slid the sliding glass door open to the balcony. Nicole watched intently as the younger girl left the room. 

“I’ll be right back,” she said to her siblings and Wynonna as she made her way to the door, sliding it open and joining Waverly outside. 

“They’re gonna end up banging,” Wynonna laughed, the twins looking back at her, confused. 

Gus glanced out of the kitchen when she heard the sliding door shut. “She doesn’t like to hear any mention of selling,” Gus explained. 

“Are you seriously thinking about it, Gus?” Andrea asked. 

“I don’t know. Business just isn’t what it used to be, you know?” Gus shrugged. “There are so many repairs that need to be done. I have a couple of interested investors that I was looking into first to try to get a little more money.” She explained. “Selling wouldn’t be my first option, this is the girls’ home.” 

“Wel, if there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate,” Andrea smiled. “You know how much this place meant to Joe.”

“He was a great man,” Gus smiled, placing a hand on Andrea’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“Thank you,” Andrea smiled softly at the older woman. 

“How have the kids been doing?” Gus asked, glancing out to see the twins sitting at the table with Wynonna, far enough away to not overhear the conversation. 

“Surprisingly well,” Andrea told her. “They have their moments, we all do. But it was something we all knew was coming. Not that it makes it any easier.”

Gus nodded in agreeance and smiled softly back at Andrea. 

“Hey, you okay?” Nicole asked, sliding the door closed behind her after stepping out onto the deck.

Waverly nodded as Nicole looked around the deck to see benches lining one side and a hot tub lining the other. “Just needed some fresh air,” she smiled at the redhead. 

“Man, we spent a lot of good times in that hot tub,” Nicole laughed, gesturing to the hot tub to her right. 

“We spent a lot of time together in general,” Waverly smiled. 

“Those were some good times,” Nicole smiled. 

“They were,” Waverly smiled. “You know, had the biggest crush on you back then, before I even know what that meant,” she laughed at how easily those were fell out of her mouth without shame. 

Nicole’s eyes widened, “Wait, what?” She asked, surprised by the words that came out of the brunette’s mouth. 

“What?” Waverly laughed.

“Did you really?” Nicole asked. 

“You were always so cool,” Waverly laughed, leaning her elbows on the railing. “I always used to tell stories about ‘my friend Nicole.’ People would tell me to shut up about it.” 

“Little Waves,” Nicole laughed, leaning on the railing next to her. 

“I’m not that much younger than you, you know,” Waverly told her. 

“But you were always shorter,” she winked, slightly nudging Waverly. 

“Not everyone has those obnoxiously long legs,” Waverly laughed, looking down at Nicole’s legs. She carefully studied the way her skinny jeans hugged them in all the right places. Her legs seemed to go on for days. Waverly swallowed hard and quickly moved her eyes back up to see Nicole smiling back at her. 

“Helps me on the board,” she winked. 

“You’re really good, you know. Definitely haven’t lost it,” Waverly told her. 

“Have you been watching?” Nicole asked, giving her a smirk. 

“A little,” Waverly said, shyly. 

“Man, why didn’t we keep in touch over the years?” Nicole asked, turning around, leaning her back up against the railing. She looked up at the night sky, taking a deep breath in.

“Time got away from us I guess,” Waverly said.

“The last time I was here, I was almost 15. It was just before my dad entered into treatments and he wanted to take me up here, just us,” Nicole said, still looking up at the stars.

“Why was it just you?” Waverly asked.

“I think he knew how much I was about to give up for him and my family. But, yeah,” she said, quickly changing the subject. “I didn’t see you that weekend,” she said, looking back at Waverly.  

“I was here,” Waverly told her, turning slightly away. 

“Wait, really?” Nicole asked. “Why didn’t we hang out?”

“You were always boarding with your dad or macking on Rosita,” Waverly laughed, rolling her eyes slightly. 

“Oh damn, yeah, Rosita,” Nicole said, reminiscing. 

Waverly rolled her eyes at Nicole, harder this time.

“What? She got boobs that year!” Nicole laughed 

Waverly looked away from Nicole, uncomfortably. 

“Sorry, I…” Nicole started.

“It’s cool,” Waverly laughed. “We did have some crazy times when we were kids.”

“I was pretty selfish as a teenager, I was just kind of discovering what I wanted. Who knew that discovery would continue on into my 20s,” Nicole laughed. 

“What do you mean?” Waverly asked.

“It’s been a rough year. I still don’t know what I want,” Nicole explained. 

“I’m sorry to hear about your dad, Nicole,” Waverly said placing a hand lightly on Nicole’s arm. “He was a great guy. Maybe you’ll finally have a chance to find what you want,” she smiled at the redhead. 

“Yeah maybe,” Nicole sighed. “You think Rosita will be back?” she winked. 

Waverly scoffed at Nicole, pulling her hand away. She playfully pushed Nicole and rolled her eyes, causing Nicole to smirk. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Waverly rolled out of bed, planting both feet firmly on the ground. She reached her arms above her head to stretch. Making her way down into the kitchen of their home, she found her sister leaning on the counter, drinking a cup of coffee.

“You’re up early,” Wynonna said, looking up at her sister.

“Early bird gets the worm,” Waverly winked, grinning back at her sister.

“You’re annoying,” Wynonna huffed, tossing a hand towel across the counter at her.

“I’m just using your joke against you,” Waverly laughed.

“But really, why are you up? You’re not on breakfast duty this morning,” Wynonna said. “Unless you’re schmoozing again,” she winked.

“No,” Waverly laughed. “Couldn’t sleep,” she huffed.

“Dreams again?” Wynonna asked, pouring her sister a cup of coffee and sliding it across the counter.

“No, actually,” Waverly told her. “Just a lot on my mind.” Waverly took the cup of coffee, taking a sip. She closed her eyes as she felt the warm liquid flow down her throat.

“Does it have anything to do with whatever happened outside with Haught stuff last night?” Wynonna asked.

Waverly opened her eyes and gave her sister a confused look. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Oh please, I can see the butterflies coming out of your stomach,” Wynonna winked.

“Yeah, no,” Waverly said. “She looks at me like I’m a little kid still,” she huffed as she leaned her elbows on the counter.

“Well, that’s probably just how she remembers you,” Wynonna told her. “How do you want her to see you?”

“I don’t know,” Waverly groaned, laying her head down on the counter in front of her. “I told her I had a crush on her when I was like 10,” she laughed, lifting her head back up to see her sister.

“And what did she say?” Wynonna asked.

“I think she was a little shocked,” Waverly laughed. “I don’t know, Wynonna, am I crazy? I see her and all these feelings flow through me, it’s confusing. I don’t really know her anymore.”

“You’re not crazy,” Wynonna smiled. “I mean, I get it, babygirl. She sure grew up,” she winked.

Waverly shook her head at her sister, playfully throwing a towel at her across the counter.

 

“So are you and Waverly in love yet?” Daniel asked, nonchalantly as he and Nicole made their way to the slopes later that morning.

“What?!” Nicole laughed.

“Do you like her?” Daniel asked.

“I barely know her, dude,” Nicole shook her head.

“Okay, but, she’s so hot now,” Daniel told her.

“Do you even remember her?” Nicole laughed.

“From pictures,” he laughed. “But you can’t tell me she’s not hot!”

“I’m not going to entertain that,” Nicole laughed. “I don’t even know if she’s actually into girls.”

“Well, if she is are you going to hit that?” Daniel asked, nudging his sister.

“Can you not?” Nicole laughed, pushing her brother lightly, taking a seat on the ski lift to make her way up the mountain.

“I’m just saying!” Daniel threw his hands in the air.

“How about you stop saying and let’s hit these slopes,” Nicole laughed. “I’ll show you a thing or two,” she winked.

 

Nicole spent the rest of the day snowboarding with her siblings. Later that night, her mom had convinced her to bring her siblings to the Christmas Eve mixer that the resort was holding in the main cabin. After much protest over the possibility of being the oldest person there, she gave in and agreed to make the sacrifice to spend more time with her siblings. When she arrived at the party, it was confirmed that there was no one else there remotely close to her age.

Nicole sighed as they entered the room. She watched her brother run quickly over to the air hockey table that was in the middle of the room.

“Come on, Nicky!” Daniel called out.

Nicole laughed and shook her head at her brother, joining him for a game of air hockey. After the first game, she excused herself and made her way across the room to get a drink. When she looked back toward her brother, she saw that Waverly had joined him at the air hockey table. She took a sip of her drink and smiled at the sight.

“Damn, dude, you replaced me already?” Nicole said, making her way back to the table, drink in hand.

“Oh, you can play if you want!” Waverly smiled back at Nicole.

“Oh, no,” Nicole laughed. “It’s cool, I could use a break,” she said.

Nicole stood back, observing her brother and Waverly playing air hockey. She began to find herself mesmerized by the brunette, feeling it in the pit of her stomach when she smiled. Nicole rubbed her face with her hand, attempting to get the thoughts out of her head. That was just Waverly, little Waves, her childhood friend.

“Having fun?” a voice came from behind Nicole. She jumped slight and turned around to see the older Earp sister walking up behind her.

Nicole gave her a soft smile. “Can’t you tell?” she laughed. “I love hanging out with a bunch of teenagers.”

“Seems like it,” Wynonna laughed.

“My mom made me take them,” she rolled her eyes and laughed.

“So you want to go to a real party?” Wynonna asked, revealing the flask that she had in her coat.

“Are you going to take me dancing in third class?” Nicole laughed, hoping Wynonna would get the reference.

“Only if you never let go at the end,” Wynonna winked, handing over the flask to the redhead.

Nicole laughed and took the flask, quickly taking a swig or whatever was in it, handing the flask back to the brunette. “So where’s this party?”

“Okay, it’s not really a party, but watching you over here is painful,” Wynonna admitted.

“Wow, thanks, Wynonna” Nicole laughed.

“No offense intended, Red,” Wynonna nudged Nicole lightly. “Just didn’t seem like you really wanted to sit here and watch a bunch of teenagers play games.”

“I told you! My mom made me take the twins,” she said, gesturing toward her siblings.

“Well, they seem like they can handle themselves,” Wynonna laughed, gesturing to Daniel playing air hockey with Waverly, Megan standing nearby, watching. “My sister seems to have taken a liking to them.”

“They always loved her,” Nicole laughed.

“They’ve grown up quite a bit,” Wynonna laughed. “They were babies last time I saw them. I didn’t think I’d see the day where Daniel was taller than me.”

Nicole laughed. “They have,” she nodded. “Waverly has grown up quite a bit too,” her eyes lingered a little longer on the brunette.

“Okay, there,” Wynonna said, breaking her gaze with her hand. “That’s still my sister.”

“Uh, sorry, I-” Nicole stuttered, turning back to Wynonna.

“Relax, Red,” Wynonna laughed. “I think you need more of this,” she handed the flask back to the redhead. “Want to get out of here?”

“Hang on,” Nicole said, walking up to her siblings. “Hey guys, is it cool if I duck out for a bit?” she asked.

“Where are you going?” Megan asked.

“I’m just going to go hang out with Wynonna for a bit,” Nicole explained. “Cover for me?”

“We got you,” Daniel said, looking up from the game, briefly.

Waverly shot the puck at the same time Daniel looked up. “And she scores!” she laughed.

“Wow,” Daniel said, looking back at Waverly. “This chick needs to cheat to score,” he winked at his sister.

“Be respectful,” Nicole whispered, smiling briefly at Waverly. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

Nicole made her way back over to where Wynonna was waiting for her. “I’m good,” she smiled, following the brunette out of the room.

“So, Red, this is Doc Holiday and Xavier Dolls. Most people just call him Dolls,” Wynonna said, as she and Nicole made their way to another room of the cabin.

“Hey,” Nicole said softly.

“I saved Haught stuff from the teen party,” Wynonna said, plopping down in one of the chairs in the room.

“Rough,” Dolls laughed. “There’s usually other things to do around here then attend those, for the record,” he said, having the redhead a drink.

“My mom wanted me to supervise my siblings,” Nicole laughed, taking the drink from his hand. “Do you guys work here?” Nicole asked.

“Sometimes,” Dolls laughed, grinning at Wynonna.

“Speak for yourself,” Doc laughed. “I do maintenance, so I’m pretty important around here,” he winked.

“Yeah, he likes to think so,” Wynonna laughed, nudging the man playfully.

“She thinks so too,” he winked at Wynonna. Doc wrapped an arm around Wynonna’s waist, pulling her closer to him.

“Are you guys…” she gestured between the two of them.

“Depends on the day,” Dolls rolled his eyes, taking another sip of his drink.

“Dolls is just jealous.” Wynonna shot him an angry look, then looked back at Doc and shrugged. Nicole laughed lightly.

“So where are you from?” Dolls asked.

“The city,” Nicole said. “I’m here with my family for Christmas vacation.”

“Ooh, city girl,” he winked, smiling at the redhead.

“I don’t think you should even try, Dolls, I think she’s more into my sister,” Wynonna intervened, nonchalantly.

Nicole went to take a sip of her drink and started to cough at Wynonna’s comment. “What?” she asked quickly.

“Man, Haught, you’re too easy,” Wynonna laughed.

“Don’t mind her,” Dolls laughed.  “She’s got a couple of loose screws and forgets how rude she sounds.”

“I remember,” Nicole laughed, winking at Wynonna. “This isn’t my first experience here.”

“Yeah Haught pants used to come here back when she was half this height and half this hot,” Wynonna winked. Nicole shook her head at the brunette, swallowing down the rest of the liquid that was in her cup.   


When the mixer began to die down, the twins looked around the room to see if their sister had made her way back yet. Waverly offered to walk them back to their suite and they agreed, fully prepared to try to cover for their sister if necessary. The trio walked entered the Haught’s family suite to find Andrea sitting on the couch. She stood up to greet them, looking confused when she saw Waverly rather than Nicole.

“Hey guys,” Andrea smiled at the twins. “How was the party?”

“Pretty cool,” Megan told her, taking her shoes and jacket off.

“I kicked Waverly’s butt all night at air hockey,” Daniel said, gesturing to Waverly.

Waverly laughed. “He did,” she admitted.

“So where’s your sister?” Andrea asked, slightly concerned.

The twins stopped in their tracks, attempting to think of a cover story. After a few silent seconds, they still couldn’t think of a cover story.

“She’s hanging out with Wynonna,” Waverly explained. “I kept an eye on the twins,” she said.

Andrea looked visibly annoyed with her oldest daughter who had told her she would keep an eye on her siblings for the night. “Thank you,” she smiled at Waverly.

“No problem,” Waverly smiled.

The twins disappeared into their bedroom and Waverly watched as the door shut behind them. She turned back to Andrea. “Mrs. Haught,” she started.

Andrea looked back up Waverly, giving her her full attention.

“It was my idea for Nicole to go hang out with Wynonna,” Waverly continued. “I told her I’d hang out with the twins, I didn’t mind.”

“It’s okay, Waverly,” Andrea smiled. “You don’t have to cover for her.”

“She was with them most of the night,” Waverly told her. “I don’t think she’d get into too much trouble with my sister.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Andrea smiled. “Thanks for walking the kids back.”

Waverly nodded and smiled at Andrea. “I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner?” She asked.

“Absolutely!” Andrea smiled. Waverly turned and exited the suite.   


“So you’ve been here before?” Dolls asked.

“We used to come here most winters for a while when I was younger,” Nicole explained. “My dad grew up with Wynonna’s dad.”

“But she was always up my sister’s butt,” Wynonna calmed our, laughing.

“You were never around much,” Nicole winked.

“Oh, so you would have been up my butt if I was around more?” Wynonna laughed.

“I mean, I don’t know-” Nicole trailed off.

“Loosen up, Haught,” Wynonna laughed. “Don’t be such a stiff!”

Nicole put her drink up to her mouth and took a large swig, finishing the contents of the cup. “I’ll try not to,” she winked.

Wynonna’s eyes widened as she nodded in approval, handing Nicole another drink.

“But wait,” Doc chimed in. “Are you really into Waverly?”

Wynonna let out a loud laugh and Nicole shook her head.   


A couple of hours later, Nicole quietly opened the door of her family’s suite, trying not to make any noise. She entered the room and slowly turned around, closing the door as quietly as possible. The lights flicked on and her mother was standing nearby, arms crossed across her chest.

“Seriously Nicole?  You were supposed to be with your siblings!” Andrea said, frustrated.   
  
“I was! They were fine!” Nicole told her. “Look, I was just hanging out with Wynonna! It was nice to be with people closer to my age for a bit,” she explained.   
  
“And you just left the kids alone?” Andrea asked, annoyed. “And you’re drunk!”   
  
“They’re hardly kids mom, they’re almost 15!” Nicole retorted. “And I’m hardly drunk-” she trailed off.   
  
“First of all, I can smell alcohol on you from a mile away,” Andrea told her. “And second of all, they can be kids as long as they need to be kids, Nicole. I’m not trying to take their youth away!”   
  
“Yeah, would hate to do that! You know, like mine was?” Nicole spat.     
  
“Nicole-” Andrea said, her tone now softer.   
  
“No, mom. I was 15 when dad got sick and I sacrificed everything to help take care of the twins and anything else you guys needed. No questions asked. I get it, okay? I don’t want them to grow up too fast either but they’re not 10 anymore, they’re about to be 15!” Nicole argued.   
  
“This is a family vacation though, Nicky. We’re here to spend time as a family,” Andrea told her.   
  
“I was gone for an hour, not all night. It’s not even 10:00! And it’s not like they were left alone! There were other kids there and people supervising! I’m 23 years old, mom! Hell, I’m almost 24! Maybe I just wanted to be my age for a night,” she huffed.   
  
“I just worry about their safety,” Andrea stated, plainly.   
  
“I wouldn’t leave my siblings in danger, mom! We’re at a ski resort, not a brothel! They were with Waverly,” Nicole said as she turned to open the door, making her way out into the hallway.

“Where are you going?” Andrea asked.   
  
“I just need to take a walk. Is that okay?!” Nicole spat.   
  
“That’s fine, Nicky,” Andrea said softly, nodded at her daughter.   
  
As Nicole made her way down the hallway, outside of their room, she heard the door open behind her and a voice call down the hall after her.

  
“Hey, Nicole!” the voice of her brother called out.   
  
“Hey, Danny, what’s up?” Nicole asked, turning around.   
  
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said, apologetically.   
  
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Nicole assured him.   
  
“I tried to tell her we were fine. You were with us most of the night!” he said.   
  
“It’s okay, bud,” Nicole told him, giving him a soft look.

  
“Where are you going?” Daniel asked.   
  
“Just for a walk,” Nicole said,gesturing over her shoulder.

  
“Can I come?” her brother asked.   
  
Nicole smiled. “Check with mom.” She watched as her brother ducked back into the suite, returning a minute later with his shoes and jacket on.   


“Nicky, I’m really sorry,” Daniel repeated as the pair walked out into the cold, night air.   
  
“Dan, you really don’t have to be,” Nicole assured him.   
  
“I’m sorry that you had to give things up for us,” he said.   
  
“Hey, don’t do that okay?,” Nicole stopped to look at her brother. “That conversation was between me and mom. I get frustrated, but I’d never take back my time with you guys. You’re my best friends.”   
  
“Don’t tell Megan, but you’re mine,” he laughed.   
  
“Be nice to her,” Nicole told him.

  
“She’s just so angry all the time,” Daniel huffed.   
  
“People process things differently,” Nicole explained.   
  
“You’re just like him, you know? It makes her mad,” he explained.   
  
“What do you mean?” Nicole asked.     
  
“You’re just like dad. He was always so calm and positive. That’s you. You keep us grounded,” her brother told her.

  
_“Keep your chin up, Nicky!”_  She could hear her father’s voice in her head.

  
“Just gotta keep your chin up!” She winked, playfully nudging her brother with her elbow.

“Hey Waverly!” Daniel called out, noticing the younger Earp walking toward them.

“What are you guys up to?” Waverly asked, smiling back at the pair.

“Needed some fresh air. I like it out here at night. I miss the stars,” Nicole smiled.

“I’ve never seen so many stars,” Daniel said.

“Not too many stars in the city?” Waverly asked.

“Not this kind,” Daniel laughed. “Too many lights.”

“So how was your night with my sister? I saw she reeled you in earlier,” Waverly laughed.

“Interesting,” Nicole laughed.

“I apologize if she was rude,” Waverly said, quickly. “She forgets about a filter,” she laughed.

Nicole laughed. “No, she was okay,” she smiled.

“Hey, Nicole, I think I’m going to head back,” Daniel said pulling his sister to the side, after noticing the interaction between the two girls.

“Oh yeah, we can go,” Nicole told him.

“No,” he gave her a look. “You stay.”

“You sure? It’s Christmas Eve, we can hangout,” Nicole said, looking at her brother, then back at Waverly.

“Yeah, you deserve to have some fun too. I’ll tell mom you walked me back and stayed out with Waverly,” Daniel explained.

Nicole laughed. “Thanks.”

Daniel winked at his sister as he turned to leave.

“What was that about?” Waverly asked.

“He just wanted to head back, I figured I’d stay and hang out a bit if you wanted,” Nicole smiled. “Unless you had to be somewhere-?

“Nope! Sounds great,” Waverly smiled.  “So, really, was Wynonna nice to you?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Nicole laughed. “I can hold my own,” she winked. “I met her...boyfriend?”

“Doc!” Waverly smiled. “He’s a great guy, but they have a weird relationship,” she laughed.

“How so?” Nicole asked.

“I just never know if they’re actually together or not,” she laughed.

“I also met Dolls, I think he was trying to hit on me,” Nicole laughed.

Waverly’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah? And how did that go?”

“Not my type,” she winked.

Nicole walked ahead a few steps and sat down on a nearby bench. The bench sat under a large tree. Waverly watched her, then followed suit and joined her on the bench.

“I told my dad I was gay on this bench,” Nicole laughed as she felt the brunette sit down next to her.

“Really?” Waverly asked.

“Yeah, the last time we were here,” Nicole reminisced.

“How did he take it?” Waverly asked.

“Really well, actually,” Nicole laughed.

“Did you think he wouldn’t? Your dad loved you,” Waverly told her.

“I just didn’t want to disappoint him for any reason,” Nicole said, softly.

“I always wonder how my parents would take it,” Waverly said.

“Take what?” Nicole asked.

“That I like women,” Waverly said.

“Wait,” Nicole said, looking at Waverly. “So that thing about having a crush on me when we were young?”

Waverly winked at Nicole and smiled. She stood up from the bench and walked over to the tree. Nicole watched as she placed her hand on the tree. “Remember this?”

“What?” Nicole asked as she stood up from the bench, walking up next to Waverly. She stood close enough that she could feel the warmth from the brunette’s.

Waverly moved her hand to reveal small letters carved into the bark of the tree.

“NH + WE,” Nicole smiled and turned toward Waverly. “I do remember that.”

“Wynonna used to tease us so bad,” Waverly laughed.

“Did she ever stop?” Nicole asked.

“Unfortunately not,” Waverly rolled her eyes. “Should I get you back soon? It is Christmas Eve.”

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole glanced down at her phone to see the time. “Well, it’s almost Christmas now,” she smiled.

“Well from what I hear, we will be seeing each other for Christmas dinner,” Waverly said.

“Sounds great,” Nicole smiled back at the brunette.

“Can I walk you back to your suite?” Waverly asked.

“Are you sure? I can walk you home so you don’t have to be out here alone,” Nicole said.

“You’re the guest,” Waverly winked. “I’ve walked this property thousands of times.”

Nicole agreed to let Waverly walk her back and the pair made their way back across the property, into the cabin that her family was staying in. They walked into the cabin and Waverly was greeted by staff on duty. They went upstairs to the second floor and made it to the door of Nicole’s room and stopped in the hallway.

“Thank you for tonight,” Nicole smiled. “I love my family, but it was kind of nice to spend a little time with you. It’s been a long time.”

“Well, thanks for spending time with me,” Waverly smiled back at her, leaning up and kissing her on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Waves,” Nicole smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Waverly smiled and watched Nicole as she opened the door of her family’s suite, closing it behind her. With another smile, Waverly spun on her heels and headed back home.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Nicole heard someone moving around in the room while she was trying to sleep. She rolled over, pulled the blanket over her head, and ignored the fact that she knew her brother would be waking her up soon. It was Christmas morning and no matter how old Daniel got, he was always the most excited about it. Normally she found her younger brother’s love for Christmas to be adorable, but this morning all she wanted to do was sleep.

The bunk bed started to shake underneath her and Nicole tried to ignore it, pretending to sleep. The bed continued to shake and Nicole groaned. “What the hell!” She called out, turning over to see her brother standing below her with his hands on the bed frame.  

“It’s Christmas!” Daniel cheered. 

“How early?” Nicole asked, plainly.

“It’s barely 8am!” Megan whined from across the room. She took her pillow and dramatically covered her own face with it, kicking her feet on the bed. 

“Daniel-” Nicole warned. “You’re not 5 anymore. Sleep in.”

“No way!” Daniel laughed. 

“You sleep ‘til 1pm at home!” Nicole reminded him. 

“But not on Christmas!” Daniel told her.

“You’re the worst,” Megan said, lifting the pillow from her face and rolling over in her bed. 

“But you love me,” he smiled a dimpled smile at his twin sister, sitting down on the bed next to her.

“Sometimes,” she laughed, pushing her brother off of her bed. 

“Is mom up?” Nicole asked, climbing down from the top bunk. 

“Yeah, she said to come get you guys for breakfast,” Daniel told her. “Apparently she needs food and coffee before presents,” he laughed. 

“I need to shower before any of that,” Nicole said, grabbing clothes from her suitcase, walking by her brother, out of the bedroom.

“Come on!” Daniel whined. “You didn’t shower before breakfast yesterday.”

“I’m gross though,” Nicole whined, playfully. 

“You’re just trying to impress Waverly,” Daniel teased, slightly singing Waverly’s name. 

“If she’s showering, I’m going back to sleep,” Megan sighed, not paying attention to her brothers comment toward their older sister. 

“Come on!” Daniel groaned. 

“Daniel Joseph stop tormenting your sisters!” Andrea called out, making her way into the room. “I told you to see if they were up, not to harass them!”

“Mom, I need to shower,” Nicole said, running by her and making her way into the bathroom. 

Daniel opened his mouth to speak and Andrea stopped him. “We will eat after she showers,” she told him pointing a finger at him. 

“Fine!” he groaned, plopping down on the couch in the living room. 

Nicole turned on the water of the shower and removed her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor near the tub. She stepped slowly under the water, gauging whether or not she chose the right temperature. She winced slightly at the hot water hitting her cold, bare skin, but quickly adjusted and took a deep breath in, relaxing under the flowing water. 

Her mind began to wander, thinking about the time she spent with Waverly the night before. She wasn’t sure what it was going to be like seeing Waverly again. She had been someone she was close with when they were younger, but she hadn’t thought much about her in the more recent years that she had not been to the Earp Ski Resort. She did notice how comfortable she still was around the brunette and how easy they fell into conversation with each other, as if they had spent years with each other when they hadn’t. Nicole poured shampoo in her hand and began to lather it in her hair. 

Part of her knew that she didn’t really know Waverly anymore and wondered whether or not they really still had much in common other than reminiscing about the past. She remembers her as little Waverly Earp, a good friend of hers, but someone she never thought of as anything more than that. Another part of her couldn’t help but be curious about Waverly, wondering what she was up to at that very moment. That was the part of her that couldn’t keep her eyes off of the brunette, the part that realized how much she really has grown up as well. They were both adults now and she shouldn’t really feel guilty about her thoughts about the other woman, should she? Waverly did tell her that she had a crush on her when she was younger, was that a hint that she might still feel something for the redhead now? She leaned her head back under the water to rinse the shampoo from her hair. 

Waverly was really pretty. Like really pretty. Nicole couldn’t get thoughts of her smile out of her mind since the first day she was at the ski resort. She felt like it would forever be engraved into her head. As she ran a soaped up loofah over her body, she started to think about the brunette and what it would be like to kiss her lips. She closed her eyes and thought about feeling Waverly’s body against hers. She felt a shiver down her spine, thinking about the brunette’s hands on her body instead of her own. She took a sharp breath in, sliding her hand further down her body, over her chest, down her torso.

As her hand slid just below her abdomen, there was a knock at the door and the sound of her mom’s voice broke Nicole of her thoughts. “Nicky, are you okay?” Andrea asked.

Nicole jumped, quickly opening her eyes. “Yeah sorry, mom, be right out!” she called out. 

Nicole lathered her hands with soap and rubbed them on her face, splashing it with water in attempts to stop her wandering thoughts. When she finished in the shower, she got dressed quickly and made her way out of the bathroom to find her family.

The Haught family made their way down to the mess hall to eat breakfast. Megan sat across from Nicole, next to their mother, still looking to be half asleep. Daniel sat next to Nicole and began eating his food faster than normal. 

“Where’s the fire, bro?” Nicole asked, laughing. 

“He thinks if he eats faster, then he will be able to open presents faster,” Megan rolled her eyes, slowly spooning cereal into her mouth. 

“What makes you think there are presents?” Andrea winked. “We’re on family vacation! Isn’t that present enough?”

“Whatever, mom,” Daniel rolled his eyes.

Nicole laughed at her brother, shaking her head at him. She continued to eat her breakfast and looked up as she saw people entering the room. Waverly and Gus made their way through the room, toward where the Haught family were sitting. Nicole made brief eye contact with Waverly and smiled at her before looking back down at her food. 

“What’s that about?” Daniel asked his older sister, in a hushed tone. 

“What?” Nicole asked, looking at her brother.

“Did you guys make out yet?” he asked, as Waverly approached the table. 

Nicole laughed and coughed, slightly choking on her food. She looked up to see Waverly and Gus standing at the table above her.

“Are you okay?” Waverly asked, concerned. 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole smiled. “Danny was just telling jokes,” she said, nudging her brother.    
  


Later that afternoon, the Haughts joined Gus, Wynonna and Waverly for Christmas dinner at their house. They arrived early to spend time together before dinner. When they entered the house, Wynonna and Gus were in the kitchen, while Gus was preparing dinner. Wynonna was mostly just eating the food, declaring herself to be the ‘unofficial taste tester’ of the family. 

“Welcome!” Gus said, cheerfully, coming out of the kitchen, as the Haughts entered the house.

Andrea smiled back at the older woman, giving her a hug as she entered the house. “Merry Christmas, Gus,” she smiled. 

“Hey kids,” Gus smiled at the rest of the family. 

They all smiled, making their way into the house. Wynonna came out of the kitchen to greet their guests. “Sup, Haught pants,” she said, nudging Nicole. “Clones,” she nodded at the twins.

“Wynonna,” Nicole laughed, shaking her head at the brunette.

“We’re definitely not clones,” Daniel laughed.

“Yeah, don’t put that evil on me,” Megan laughed.

“Where’s Waverly?” Daniel asked.

“Oh, I don’t know, upstairs dolling herself up I’m sure,” Wynonna rolled her eyes.

“Who’s she trying to impress?” Daniel laughed, glancing back at his sister.

Nicole nudged her brother and headed up the stairs to find Waverly. She made her way to Waverly’s bedroom to find the door shut. She knocked lightly on the door. 

“Wynonna, I told you, I’ll be right down!” Waverly called out, opening the door. “Oh, Nicole, hey,” she said, smiling. “What’s up?”

“Didn’t want to get roped into helping in the kitchen,” Nicole laughed. “What are you up to?” she asked, as Waverly opened the door further, gesturing for her to come in. 

“Trying to figure out what to wear,” Waverly sighed, opening her door further.

“You look nice,” Nicole smiled, looking Waverly up and down. She was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a light blue sweater. Nicole admired how beautiful Waverly was, in the simplest of outfits.  

“Thanks,” Waverly blushed, slightly pulling at the bottom of her sweater. “How has your day been?”

“Fairly uneventful,” Nicole said, sitting down on Waverly’s bed. “Daniel decided we needed to be up extra early,” she laughed. “That boy loves Christmas! I’ve mostly just been looking forward to dinner though.”

“Yeah?” Waverly said, turning around to look at the redhead sitting on her bed. 

“Yeah, you know, I wanted to spend more time with Wynonna,” Nicole winked at Waverly as she watched her face quickly drop to a pout. 

Nicole smiled at the face the brunette was making, causing Waverly to laugh. There were footsteps in the doorway of the room and Daniel appeared, covering his eyes with his hand. 

“Hey, uh, mom wanted me to come get you guys for dinner,” he said.

“Why is your face covered?” Nicole laughed. 

“I didn’t know what you guys were doing up here,” Daniel laughed, uncovering his face and winking at his sister. 

Nicole quickly jumped up from the bed. “I’ll kill you,” she warned. Daniel’s eyes widened as his sister dartered toward him. He quickly turned and headed for the stairs. Waverly stood back briefly, laughing at the siblings.

“I was just kidding!” Daniel called out as he bolted down the stairs. 

Nicole continued to chase him until they reached the bottom of the stairs. As soon as Daniel hit the floor at the bottom, he stopped running, acting as if nothing had happened. Nicole followed suit, following her brother at a normal pace into the dining room. 

“What are you two doing?” Andrea asked.

“Nothing,” they both shrugged, sitting down in chairs at the table. 

Waverly followed the pair into the dining room, laughing and shaking her head at them. She found entertainment in the relationship between Nicole and Daniel, but at the same time she found it really sweet. She stopped before sitting down at the table to take another look at the two redheads interacting with each other. The pair was giving each other looks that said ‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’ Waverly took a seat in the empty chair next to Nicole and shook her head at the redhead. 

“What?” Nicole laughed.    
  


After dinner, the group made their way into the living room, settling in to watch Christmas movies together. Nicole sat in the corner of one of the couches, leaning her elbow on the arm of the couch. Daniel sat down next to her, scrolling through his phone. When Waverly entered the room, Daniel looked up to see her looking at his sister. He quickly slid over to the other side of the couch, leaning against the arm of the couch, continuing to look down at his phone. Nicole gave him a weird look, then realized that Waverly was walking toward the couch. She smiled up at the brunette as she sat down next to Nicole. Waverly sat close enough to Nicole so her leg was brushing against the redhead’s. Nicole felt her heart start to beat a little faster. 

“So what movie are we watching?” Gus asked the group.  

“Grinch or bust!” Wynonna said. 

Laughter broke up in the room and they decided it was a good choice. Gus put in the dvd and turned the light off, sitting down in her chair to make herself comfortable. There was conversation made at times throughout the movie, but overall the group sat quietly, watching the film. Waverly glanced over at Nicole a few times, seeing that she was focused on the movie. She looked down to see Nicole’s hand laying flat on her right leg. Waverly set her left hand flat on her own leg, slowly sliding it over until she was gently touching Nicole’s leg. Nicole smiled, keeping her eyes on the movie, and slid her hand further over until she was holding Waverly’s hand. 

“Hey, so, do you want to hit up the hot tub?” Waverly whispered to Nicole as the credits started to roll at the end of the movie. 

Gus stood up and turned the lights on in the room, Nicole and Waverly quickly let go of each other’s hand. “I don’t have my suit with me,” Nicole whispered back to Waverly. 

“I might have something you can borrow,” Waverly told her.

“Okay. Let me check with my mom,” Nicole smiled.

Waverly smiled and nodded at the redhead. 

“Hey mom, would it be cool if I go hang out with Waves for a bit? I know it’s Christmas, but-” Nicole started, pulling her mom to the side.

“That’s fine, Nicky,” Andrea smiled. “But hey, I have something for you first,” she told her daughter.

“You do?” Nicole asked.

“This is from your dad,” Andrea said softly to Nicole as she handed her a small box. “He wanted to be sure I gave it to you for Christmas this year.”

Nicole looked back at her mom, confused. “Do you know what it is?” she asked.

Andrea shook her head. “He was always up to something,” she laughed lightly. 

“Is it okay if I open it later?” Nicole asked her mother.

Andrea nodded at her oldest daughter. “Take your time, baby,” she smiled. 

“Thanks mom,” Nicole smiled. “I love you,” she hugged her mother.

“I love you too, Nicky,” Andrea smiled. “Go hang out with your friend,” she nudged her daughter lightly. 

“We’re just going to be out in the hot tub if you need me,” Nicole told her.

“Thanks,” Andrea smiled. 

Nicole tucked the box into the back pocket of her jeans and looked back at Waverly. She nodded at the brunette and the pair made their way up the stairs to Waverly’s room. Waverly shut the door behind her and Nicole. 

“Did you need a suit?” Waverly asked, opening one of her drawers.

“I could, uh, probably just wear what I have underneath this,” Nicole said, gesturing to her clothes. “It’s basically the same thing,” she smiled. 

Nicole looked back at Waverly to read her reaction, hoping she wasn’t being too forward. Waverly nodded back at Nicole and smiled. She lead the redhead out of her room and outside to the upper deck.

“I’ve been dreaming of this since we got here,” Nicole stated, looking up at the stars in the sky.

Waverly turned to the redhead, raising her eyebrows at her. Nicole looked down at Waverly when she felt her gaze on her.

“I meant, um, the hot tub and these amazing views,” Nicole laughed. 

“Oh,” Waverly said softly. 

“Hey,” Nicole gently put a hand on Waverly’s arm. “You’re a major bonus,” she smiled. 

Waverly smiled softly back at the redhead as she turned to take her shirt and pants off, leaving her in only her bra and underwear. Nicole breathed in deep at the site of Waverly standing in the moonlight with a lack of clothing. She smiled softly at the brunette as she started to follow suit and remove her clothing as well.

“I figured it was only fair, since you didn’t have a suit,” Waverly winked.

“Oh, yeah, I don’t mind,” Nicole stuttered. 

Nicole stepped into the hot tub and reached out her hand to give Waverly something to hold onto as she stepped in. Her eyes traveled to the other girl’s stomach, observing the her abs up close. “Damn,” Nicole said quietly to herself. 

Waverly coughed slightly to gain Nicole’s attention. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, dimple showing when she smiled.

Waverly stepped into the hot tub, her foot slipping slightly, falling into Nicole. Nicole fell backwards slightly at the unexpected movement coming toward her. She landed in one of the seats behind her with Waverly in her lap.

“Sorry,” Waverly said, smiling at Nicole.

Nicole smiled back without speaking at first. She noticed how Waverly’s eyes shone brighter up close, the way the moon and the snow reflected off of them.

“It’s okay,” Nicole finally said, almost in a whisper, her arms still wrapped around the brunettes body.

“I... uh... sorry,” Nicole said as she released her grip on Waverly and allowed her to get off of her lap.

“Don’t be, “Waverly winked as she moved to the seat next to Nicole. “So you’ve been dreaming about being in the hot tub?” She laughed.

“These views are insane!” Nicole said, enthusiastically. “All I get most day are skyscrapers and city lights,” she laughed. “I’ve definitely missed this place.”

Nicole leaned back in the seat, putting her arms up on the edge of the hot tub, her hand close to Waverly’s shoulder. 

“So what’s new, Nicole?” Waverly asked. “I’m sure a lot,” she laughed. “But how have you been, what have you been up to?”

“It’s been an interesting year. I’ve been okay, but I’ve also been better,” Nicole sighed. “I tried college!” she laughed. 

“Why’s that funny?” Waverly asked, confused. 

“Tried and failed,” she said, matter of factly. 

“Oh, Nicole. What happened?” Waverly said, sympathetically. 

“Just couldn’t concentrate. I don’t know, college is something you start when you’re 18, not when you’re 23, you know? Maybe it’s just not for me,” Nicole admitted. 

“Why did you go?” Waverly asked. 

“I wanted to,” Nicole told her.

“Did you really?” Waverly raised an eyebrow at Nicole. 

“I just felt like I needed to,” Nicole admitted. 

“What do you really want to do?” Waverly asked.

“I want to go to the police academy,” Nicole told her. 

“The police academy? Nicole, that’s awesome!” 

“Yeah, I don’t think my mom will see it that way,” Nicole sighed. Her hand dropped slightly to Waverly’s shoulder. She brushed her fingers lightly on Waverly’s skin.

“Why not?” Waverly asked. 

“She just lost her husband, she’s petrified something is going to happen to us too,” Nicole explained. “I’m a little afraid to even put that thought into her head, to be honest.”

“You should do what you want to do though, Nicole. If that’s what you’re passionate about, you should go for it,” Waverly told her.

“Either that or I’m going to move out here and board everyday,” she laughed.

“Okay, well, you sure do still know your way down a hill for a city girl,” Waverly winked.

“It’s been so nice to be back on a board. I just get lost in my thoughts when I board, but I feel like it’s what I need right now,” Nicole smiled. 

“Can I tell you what I see?” Waverly asked, turning her body to face Nicole more. 

“Sure,” Nicole smiled.

“I see a quiet girl from the city. She’s different from when we were kids, but in a good way. She’s more mysterious, but really pretty,” Waverly smiled as she placed her hand on Nicole’s knee. “She’s gets on a snowboard and she’s unstoppable. She’s free. She’s confident.”

“You got all of that from watching me?” Nicole asked, intrigued. 

“She makes me stop in my tracks. I find myself staring a little longer at her because she makes me want to know the woman she is today.”

Nicole smiled back at Waverly.

“I probably sound crazy right now, so I think I’m going to stop talking,” Waverly laughed. 

“You don’t sound crazy,” Nicole smiled as she took her hand in hers. “Why don’t we try that?”

“Try what?” Waverly asked. 

“Getting to know each other again,” Nicole smiled. 

Waverly smiled and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“So this turned out to be a pretty good Christmas,” Nicole smiled. 

“Because you got to get in the hottub with the views?” Waverly winked.

“I mean, they’re awesome!” Nicole laughed, gesturing out in front of her.

“Do you think your siblings are going to come looking for you soon?” Waverly asked. 

“I told my mom where we were,” Nicole laughed. “I’m surprised my brother hasn’t tried to get in with us yet. Mom probably threatened him.”

“He’s cute,” Waverly smiled. “It’s crazy, they were so little.” 

“Yeah, my mom still sees them that way, I think,” she laughed. “She tries to baby them and it drives them nuts. I think she just doesn’t want them to grow up quicker than they have to. She sees what happened to me.”

“What do you mean?” Waverly asked.  

“I was sort of forced to grow up pretty quickly. They needed extra help so I was there. I took care of the kids a lot and did what I could while my dad went through treatments. Now she sees that and wants them to stay kids for as long as possible,” Nicole explained.

“I’m sorry you went through all of that, Nicole,” Waverly said, sincerely. 

“It’s okay, I mean, you know what it’s like to lose parents too, right?” 

“Yeah, but I was young, I don’t remember them like you do,” Waverly told her. 

“Still counts as heartbreak, Waves,” Nicole said. 

“I know,” Waverly said softly.

“Hey, come here,” Nicole gestured for the brunette to come toward her. 

Waverly smiled and moved back over into the redhead’s lap. Nicole instinctively wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist to stop her from falling. 

“You didn’t even have to pretend to fall this time,” Nicole winked.

“You didn’t like that?” Waverly asked.

“Oh I didn’t say that,” Nicole winked. “Can I tell you what I think about you?”

“Sure,” Waverly smiled. 

“I think you’re really cute,” Nicole smiled. 

“Damn, Haught, you’re good with words,” Waverly joked. 

“I’m better without words,” Nicole winked. 

Waverly's eyes widened and a smile grew across her face. “Prove it,” she winked. 

Nicole leaned in toward Waverly. The door slid open and Wynonna appeared. “Damn, Waves, you two aren’t wasting any time.”

“Wynonna!” Waverly said as she quickly pulled away and moved next to Nicole.

“What?” Wynonna said, knowingly. 

“What are you doing out here?” Waverly huffed. 

“I heard people, I was curious,” Wynonna said, sitting in a chair on the deck.

“Well can you go be curious somewhere else?” Waverly asked, annoyed.

“So you can get some while I’m not? No way!” Wynonna protested.

“Where’s Doc?” Waverly asked, ignoring her sister’s comment. 

“Sleeping,” Wynonna rolled her eyes.

Waverly groaned and Nicole laughed. “I should probably be getting back soon anyway,” she said, standing up and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body. 

“Let me walk you,” Waverly said, quickly following Nicole out of the hottub. 

“Can I join?” Wynonna asked.

“No,” Waverly said. 

“Oh, come on!” Wynonna whined. 

“Wynonna-” Waverly warned.

“You’re no fun,” Wynonna laughed.    
  


After drying off and putting their clothing back on, Waverly and Nicole walked together back toward Nicole’s cabin to her family’s suite. 

“Thanks for walking me,” Nicole smiled at Waverly, breaking the silence.

“Sorry again for my sister,” Waverly sighed. “She thinks she’s funny.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing for her,” Nicole laughed. “I don’t mind. I get it from my brother as well.”

“You two have a cute relationship,” Waverly laughed. 

“He thinks he’s funny too,” Nicole laughed. “But I know he wants me to be happy. He’s a good kid.” The pair turned the corner in the hallway, stopping in front of Nicole’s family’s suite. 

“Well, we’re here,” Waverly said, turning to Nicole. Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly, bringing her in for a hug. Waverly looked up at Nicole, reciprocating the embrace. 

“So were you still going to prove to me how good you are without words?” Waverly said, pulling away from the hug, smiling at the redhead. 

“Hmm, maybe,” Nicole winked. “Maybe Wynonna ruined the moment already,” she laughed.

“Oh, okay,” Waverly said. “I guess I should, you know,  get going then,” she smiled, gesturing behind her.

Nicole smiled at Waverly, resting her hand gently on the brunette’s cheek. Nicole leaned down slightly, bringing her face to the same level as Waverly’s. Closing her eyes, she leaned in gently, connecting her lips lightly with the brunette’s. Nicole felt a smile form on Waverly’s lips against hers, causing her to smile as well. Waverly pressed her lips against Nicole’s once more, continuing to reciprocate the kiss, then pulled away slightly, slowly opening her eyes.

“Not bad,” she winked. 

Nicole shook her head at the brunette, smiling. “Goodnight, Earp,” she said. 

Nicole turned to open the suite door when she felt Waverly pull gently on her hand and she turned back around. Waverly pulled a little harder on Nicole’s hand and their lips crashed into each other. Waverly backed up, reaching her hand out to feel the wall behind her, leaning her back up against it. Nicole followed suit, lips still connected. Nicole placed one hand on the wall above Waverly’s head and the other on her hip. Waverly reached her hand up, cupping Nicole’s face. The pair continued to kiss desperately, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other.

The door swung open behind Nicole and she suddenly jumped back, still facing Waverly.

“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything in your eye, are you okay?” She asked quickly.

“Must have gotten it out already!” Waverly shrugged.  “Oh, hey Mrs. Haught!” she said, looking past Nicole’s shoulder, seeing her mother at the door.

“Nicky, it’s late,” Andrea said, softly.

“Sorry, mom,” Nicole said. “I was just talking with Waverly and I guess we lost track of time.”

“It’s fine,” her mother smiled. “Wrap it up,” she winked, closing the door behind her.

Nicole’s eyes were wide when she looked back at Waverly. 

“Smooth,” Waverly winked. 

“Yeah,” Nicole laughed. “I should go,” she gestured toward the door. 

Waverly smiled and nodded her head at Nicole. “Goodnight,” she smiled. 

Nicole flashed her a dimpled smile and turned to make her way back into her family’s room. Waverly smiled and turned to leave the cabin, heading back home. Once inside the suite, Nicole closed the door behind her. She turned to see her mother sitting on the couch behind her, watching tv. 

“Did you have fun?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah,” Nicole said. “Thanks for letting me hang out, mom.”

“Of course, Nicky. It’s your vacation too,” she smiled. “So, Waverly is pretty cute, huh?” she winked.

“Yeah, I’m not going to have this conversation with you, mom,” Nicole laughed as she headed toward the bathroom. 

“But I’m the cool mom!” Andrea called out.

“Yeah, I need a shower,” Nicole laughed, closing the bathroom door behind her. 

“Didn’t you already shower today?” Andrea asked, receiving no answer from her daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Waverly stood outside of the Haught’s suite for another minute before turning and walking back down the hallway. Smiling to herself, she exited the cabin, taking a deep breath of fresh mountain air into her lungs. She looked up at the night sky, noticing how clear the it was. There were stars for miles and Waverly became momentarily mesmerized by them. She brought her head back down, eyes in front of her, and continued walking under the stars back to her house. When she approached her house, she heard voices in the distance and walked around the building to see if she could see who it was.

Waverly stopped in her tracks when she saw three men on the edge of the woods talking with each other. She backed up against the house so they didn’t see her, but tried to hear what they were saying. They seemed to be arguing for a minute, then one of the men handed something over to another and they turned to walk away from each other. Waverly ducked back behind the house to avoid being seen and she could hear a car start up in the distance. Confused, she turned to walk back into her house. 

“Waverly?” She heard a familiar voice behind her. 

“Doc?” she asked, confused as she turned back around slowly. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked 

“Um, I live here,” Waverly laughed, gesturing toward her house. “What are you doing?” 

“Oh, uh, I was hanging out with Wynonna, I’m heading home now.”

Waverly gave him a confused look, remembering that her sister had told her that Doc was home sleeping. She didn’t want to question him further though, so she accepted his answer. “Oh okay, well, goodnight,” she smiled, turning toward her house. 

“Goodnight, Waverly,” Doc smiled, nodding at the brunette and turning to leave.

Waverly glanced behind her once more to see the man in a cowboy hat disappearing into the darkness. She entered her room, flipped on the light and jumped at the sight of her sister sitting on her bed. “What the hell, Wynonna?” 

“Where have you been?” Wynonna asked, pretending to interrogate her sister. 

“I told you already,” Waverly laughed. “I just walked Nicole home.”

“And what else happened?” Wynonna asked, pointing a finger toward Waverly. 

“Hm, we did some shots, smoked some weed and did it right in the middle of the hallway,” Waverly said, pretending to think.

“Damn! And I wasn’t invited?!” Wynonna whined.

“You’re ridiculous,” Waverly laughed, shaking her head at her older sister. 

“Listen, I like to know at least one of us is getting action!” Wynonna sighed. 

“What about Doc?” Waverly asked. 

“Yeah, I don’t know, he’s been weird lately,” Wynonna rolled her eyes. 

“How so?” 

“I mean, he’s always a little weird,” she laughed. “But he’s been more distant lately. Like tonight I asked if he wanted to hang out, you know, it’s Christmas as all. But he said he had to get his beauty sleep.” 

“Weird,” Waverly said. 

She wasn’t sure whether or not she should mention seeing Doc outside of the house that night. Something in her felt uneasy about the interaction she saw between him and the other men, but she didn’t want to speculate if nothing was happening. She liked Doc, he was always good to her sister from what she saw, but she always felt that there might be more to the man than meets the eye. 

“So are you gonna go now so I can go to bed?” Waverly asked. 

“So you can dream about a sweet redhead?” Wynonna laughed.

“It would be better than the dreams I’ve been having,” she said. 

Wynonna gave her a sympathetic look as she stood up from the bed. Waverly laid back on her bed, and sighed. Wynonna stood by her bed momentarily, not leaving the room.  

“So you’re really not going to tell me what happened with Nicole?” she asked.

“Really, Wynonna,” Waverly said. “I need sleep.”

“Okay, fine!” Wynonna whined as she headed for the door. 

“Goodnight,” Waverly smiled.

“Goodnight, babygirl,” Wynonna smiled. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

Wynonna left the room and Waverly pulled a pillow tight to her chest, rolling over on her side. She sighed and closed her eyes to go to sleep, drifting off, back into the dream from the previous night. 

_ “He has kids, Robert,” Joe said, softly. _

_ “We were just kids,” Robert laughed. _

_ “You don’t think we tried to help you?” Ward asked. _

_ “Don’t tell me you tried! You gave up on me!” Robert huffed as he glanced back at the men behind him and nodded. _

_ The other men pulled their guns out and aimed them toward Ward. Ward and Joe put their hands up and stepped back away from Robert. _

_ “Robert, please,” Ward pleaded. _

_ The was a sudden sound of a gunshot from the distance. Waverly’s eyes grew big as she continued to watch. Her father dropped to the ground, lifeless. Waverly gasped, trying to scream but no sound came out. She quickly crawled back to her bed, climbing in and pulling the covers up to her face. From the distance, she could hear the talking continue out the window.  _

_ “Ward!” Joe yelled. “Robert!” _

_ “Look, I gotta get out of here,” Robert said.  _

_ Waverly could hear the sound of men running away from the scene. Not much later, the sound of sirens filled the air.  _

Waverly woke quickly and sat up in bed, looking around the room. She realized that she had fallen back into the dream again. She rubbed her face with her hand and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. Glancing at the clock, she saw it read 2:34am. Waverly groaned and rolled back over, holding the pillow close to her chest again. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. 

_ Waverly laid naked on her bed, only slightly covered by the blanket. Nicole laid briefly next to her before lifting her body over Waverly’s lowering herself until she could feel her skin against the redhead’s. Their lips connected, Waverly felt Nicole’s tongue against her own and she let out a small moan at the feeling. Nicole began to kiss Waverly’s neck, biting down slightly on the skin, causing Waverly to lean her head further back, arching her back and letting out another moan. Nicole continued to kiss down the brunette’s body, stopping to place kisses across her chest, taking on of her already hard nipples into her mouth.  _

_ Waverly took a sharp breath in. “Nicole,” she breathed. Nicole started to kiss further down the her body, kissing over her abs down to her inner thighs. Waverly looked down at the redhead, who made eye contact with her and smiled before licking a long stroke with her tongue between Waverly’s legs. Waverly moaned loudly, dropped her head back down onto the pillow and closed her eyes.  _

Waverly’s eyes shot open and she quickly looked around the room. She glanced down on the bed to see her body, fully clothed and fully under the blanket. “Fuck,” she groaned, dropping her head back down on the pillow. She rubbed her face with her hand and slowly climbed out of bed. The sun was beginning to rise over the mountain. She wrapped a bathrobe around her body and made her way out onto the balcony, sitting down on a bench, watching the sunrise. 

 

Later that morning, Waverly knocked 3 times on the Haught’s suite door, hoping that they would still be there. There was no answer at the door and she turned to walk away from the room. Behind her, the door swung open and she heard Nicole’s voice coming from the doorway. 

“Waverly?” Nicole asked. 

Waverly spun around on her heels to see the redhead popping her head out into the hallway. “Hey there,” she smiled, cheerfully. 

“What’s up?” Nicole smiled back at the brunette. She had a towel in her hand, using it to dry her recently showered hair.

“So I have the day off today and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out,” Waverly explained, heading back to the door. 

“Waverly Earp takes days off?” Nicole laughed. “Here, come in,” she lead Waverly into the suite.

“Sometimes,” Waverly laughed, following Nicole into the bedroom of the suite.

“What did you have in mind?” Nicole asked, slightly closing the bedroom door and hanging her towel up on a hook on the back of it. 

“Maybe I could show you a thing or two on the slopes?” Waverly asked.

“Oh, yeah?” Nicole raised an eyebrow at Waverly. 

“And maybe a little more of this,” she smiled, pulling Nicole closer to her body. 

“I can deal with that,” Nicole smiled, taking Waverly by the hand, intertwining their fingers. Waverly pushed herself up on her toes and Nicole slightly tilted her head down, smiling as their lips softly connected. The door swung open and the pair pulled away quickly. 

“What are you two doing?” Megan asked, entering the room and grabbing her jacket off of her bed.

“What? Nicole asked quickly. “We, uh, we’re just-” she stuttered.

“Yeah,” Waverly added. 

“Yeah, you guys are weird,” Megan rolled her eyes, leaving the room with her jacket. 

Waverly turned to Nicole and laughed. “Man, we should probably stop trying to do that where our family is.”

“And where do you suggest we do it?” Nicole smirked at Waverly, raising her eyebrow playfully at the brunette.

“There are so many things I want to say to that,” Waverly laughed, shaking her head.

“Care to share?” Nicole asked, continuing to smile back at Waverly.

“Maybe later,” Waverly winked, leaving the bedroom, Nicole following closely behind her. 

“But-” Nicole protested. 

Waverly smiled to herself, Nicole still following her through the room. “Good morning Mrs. Haught,” Waverly said in a bubbly tone. 

“Oh, good morning, Waverly,” Andrea smiled. 

“I know you’re on family vacation, but I was wondering if I could borrow your daughter today?” Waverly asked politely. 

“Nicole or Megan?” Andrea joked.

“I’m not hanging out with them, they don’t stop making googly eyes at each other!” Megan called out from across the room.

“What!?” Nicole asked. 

“Megan, leave your sister alone,” Andrea defending her older daughter. “Sure, Waverly,” she smiled. 

“I’ll hang out with you guys!” Daniel called out, coming out of the bathroom. 

“Sounds good, dude,” Waverly winked. 

 

Waverly, Nicole and Daniel spent the day snowboarding together.  Nicole was impressed by Waverly’s skill on the slopes. She knew that she shouldn’t be surprise,Waverly grew up there and she had spent time snowboarding with her when she was younger. Nicole sat back and watched Waverly give her brother different tips on snowboarding. She felt her heart beat faster watching the interaction, noticing how patient Waverly was with her brother. 

“Thanks for showing me those tips today, Waverly!” Daniel said, cheerfully as they made their way back toward their cabin. 

“Anytime!” Waverly smiled. “I dabble in a little snowboard instruction.” 

“Well, don’t tell my sister,” he whispered. “But you’re the best teacher I’ve had,” he winked. 

“Secrets safe with me,” Waverly winked. 

“What are you too whispering about?” Nicole asked.

“Nothing,” the pair responded simultaneously. 

Nicole rolled her eyes at Waverly and Daniel and continued walking with her snowboard. 

“Are you guys hungry?” Waverly asked. “I can take you to this place down the street, it’s really good.”

“There’s life outside of this place?” Daniel joked. 

“Yeah sometimes we make it out,” Waverly laughed. 

After discarding their snowboards and gear, the trio headed toward Waverly’s jeep. “Shotgun!” Daniel called out. 

“Whatever,” Nicole huffed, causing Waverly to laugh.

“Okay, but I get control over the radio,” Waverly winked. 

They piled into the jeep and made their way down the road to a nearby restaurant. As they entered, Waverly was greeted by the restaurant staff. 

“Do you know everyone?” Daniel asked.

“Small town,” Waverly laughed. 

“Yeah, I don’t know what that’s like,” he laughed.

“So Daniel,” Waverly started. “Your sister tells me you play basketball?” she asked, taking a bite of her food that had arrived at the table. 

“Yeah! Starting center on the Junior Varsity team,” Daniel said. “Not to brag or anything.”

Nicole laughed, shaking her head at her brother. 

“You should brag, that’s awesome!” Waverly told him. 

“Well, if things don’t work out with you and my sister, hit me up,” he winked across the table at the brunette.

Nicole’s eyes widened and she kicked her brother under the table. “Ow!” he yelled. 

 

Later that night, Waverly and Nicole were sitting together on the couch in Waverly’s living room. Nicole was leaning back with her elbow resting on the arm of the couch. Waverly sat next to her, slightly leaning into her right side. Nicole draped her arm over Waverly’s shoulder, and Waverly reached up, intertwining her fingers with the redhead’s. 

“Hey, Waves, thanks again for letting Daniel tag among today. I think it meant a lot to him,” Nicole said, turning her head to make eye contact with the brunette.

“Of course! He’s a cool kid, I don’t mind,” Waverly smiled.

“I think he’s been seeking a lot of guidance lately and it’s been hard on him without my dad,” Nicole explained.

Waverly squeezed Nicole’s hand a little harder and gave her a sympathetic look. “I see how much he looks up to you,” Waverly told her. “He’s got a pretty good role model,” she winked. 

Nicole smiled and leaned in toward the brunette, kissing her lightly on the lips. The pair continued to sit in silence, watching TV for a few minutes before they were interrupted by Wynonna entering the room behind them. 

“Hey, we’re having poker night, you nerds in?” Wynonna asked. 

“Sure,” Nicole said, glancing at Waverly to see if she approved. Waverly nodded and the pair joined them at the table. 

“Texas Hold ‘Em?” Nicole asked as she sat down. 

“Strip?” Dolls asked, sitting next to her. 

“Dolls, what did I tell you about our dear friend Nicole here?” Wynonna asked. 

“I just thought it would make it more interesting!” Dolls said, putting his hands up in front of him. 

“Let’s do it,” Waverly chimed in. 

Wynonna quickly looked at her sister, shocked. Nicole’s eyes widened and she felt Waverly’s hand on her leg. Waverly gently squeezed Nicole’s leg. “It’ll make it more interesting,” she smiled. 

“Alright, but first I’ll need a drink,” Nicole laughed. 

“Done!” Wynonna said, standing up and making her way into the kitchen. 

“I’ll help!” Dolls jumped up, following Wynonna I to the kitchen. 

“Good evening, ladies,” Doc tilted his hat, greeting them as he joined them at the table. 

“Doc,” Waverly smiled. “Nicole you met Doc, right?”

“Yes, Wynonna’s maybe kinda boyfriend?” she joked, winking at Doc.

“I think they’re currently on,” Waverly laughed and Doc nodded back at her.

“So are you guys any good at poker?” Nicole asked.

“Not really,” Waverly laughed. 

“Strip poker, Xavier?” Wynonna asked when they made it far enough out of the room that the others would not hear them. 

“What?” He grinned. 

“You think you’re real cute,” Wynonna said, pointing a warning figure at him. 

“Am I not?” he asked with a smirk.

“Are you trying to make Doc uncomfortable?” she asked.

“Oh come on! He needs to lighten up! He’s too uptight, I’m still not sure how you two ended up being a thing. Besides, it’ll make this fifth wheel thing more entertaining!”  

“Sorry about that,” Wynona said, sympathetically and ignoring his comment about her being with Doc. “We’ll work on finding you a girlfriend,” she nudged him. 

“Yeah, no, remember the last time you set me up?” Dolls asked. 

“Look, Mercedes is fun!” Wynonna told him.

“Too much,” he laughed. 

“Okay, fine, next time I’ll find you a boring girl!” Wynonna groaned, leaving the kitchen with drinks in her hand. 

Dolls stood back at watched briefly as she walked away from him. He took a deep breath in and a sip of his drink before he followed her out of the kitchen and back into the dining room. The game began and the group fell into easy conversation as they played. There was some taunting back and forth between everyone. Every once in a while, Nicole would feel Waverly’s hand resting gently on her leg under the table. She smiled back at the brunette. 

Nicole thought to herself about how nice it had been to spend this time away from home and be around people she had not seen in years. Although she was apprehensive at first, she found herself really enjoying her time at the ski lodge. Even if it meant losing at strip poker and slowly removing her clothes in front of the girl she was interested, her sister and a couple of strangers. 

“Full house!” Waverly cheered, throwing her cards down face up on the table. 

“Damnit!” Wynonna yelled. 

“Start stripping everyone!” Waverly laughed, sliding the chips toward her on the table. 

“I thought you said you weren’t good,” Nicole laughed. 

“Yeah, she played you,” Wynonna laughed. “We play poker all the time.”

As the game went on, Nicole was down to her jeans and bra. Waverly still had a tank top on and her pants. Doc and Dolls were down to just their boxers and Wynonna was in a bra and underwear. The drinks continued to flow throughout the game. Wynonna took the last sip of her drink and realized they were out of alcohol at the table. 

“Hey Doc, you wanna get refills?” Wynonna asked, holding up her empty cup. 

“I’ll help,” Waverly said, standing up from the table, following Doc into the kitchen.  “So are you going to tell me what you were actually up to last night?” she asked as she came up behind Doc in the kitchen. 

“Did you tell your sister that you saw me?” he asked.

“No.”

“It was nothing Waverly, don’t worry about it,” Doc assured her, opening the fridge to grab more drinks.  

“Sneaking around in the woods behind my house and lying to my sister? Seems like kind of a big deal to me, Henry,” Waverly said, pointing a finger at him.

“I was just helping them out with something,” Doc explained.  

“Doc-”

“I can’t talk about it, Waverly,” he explained.  

“You do something that’s going to get my sister hurt, I swear-” Waverly warned. 

“Okay, okay!” Doc put his hands up. “I’ll talk to her about it. But I’d appreciate it if you let me do it.”

“Deal,” Waverly put her hand out to shake Doc’s hand. He politely shook her hand before returning to the dining room with drinks.  

They returned to the dining room to see Dolls standing near the table. Nicole reached down and grabbed her shirt off the floor, pulling it over her head. Waverly made eye contact with Nicole and gave her a pouty lip. Nicole laughed lightly. 

“Game over?” Doc asked. 

“Yeah, I need to head out, you guys can keep playing,” Dolls said.

“I was thinking Doc and I could go play a different game,” Wynonna winked, taking a sip of her drink that Doc just handed her. 

“Barf-” Waverly pretended to gag. 

Wynonna winked at her sister and put her drink on the table. Dolls said his goodbyes and left the house. Wynonna and Doc headed up the stairs, leaving Nicole and Waverly alone. Waverly turned back to see the redhead taking another sip of her drink. 

“So what was that pout for? Nicole asked, setting her drink back on the table. 

“You put your shirt back on,” Waverly said softly. 

“Should I not have?” Nicole raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s too late now,” Waverly winked. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole asked, grinning at Waverly. 

“Yeah, I guess you won’t find out,” Waverly winked. 

Nicole took a step forward, lessening the space between her and Waverly. “You sure?” she asked. 

Waverly smiled, taking another step forward leaning in to Nicole, connecting their lips together. The pair continued to kiss and Nicole lead Waverly backwards until her legs were pressed up against it. Nicole reached out to swipe the poker chips out of the way, causing a stack of them to crash to the floor. Waverly laughed and Nicole’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, that’s way smoother in the movies,” Nicole laughed.

Waverly laughed and hopped up to sit back on the table, pulling Nicole between her legs. They reconnected their lips together and Waverly slid back further on the table, guiding Nicole on top of her. Nicole kneeled on the table above Waverly, one leg to the side of her, one between her legs. As they continued to make out on top of the table, Waverly slide her arm out, knocking a few more poker chips from the table. Waverly started to laugh again. Nicole laughed and reconnected lips with Waverly. 

Waverly brought her hand up, placing it on Nicole’s back. She brought her other hand up to the back of Nicole’s head, sliding her fingers into her hair. Waverly pushed up further, kissing Nicole harder. Nicole slid her knee to the side to press her body further against Waverly’s, knocking more chips to the floor. 

“What the hell are you guys doing down there?” Wynonna called out from upstairs. 

Nicole jumped up off of the table, planting her feet on the floor. She bent over to quickly pick the poker chips off of the floor, slightly laughing. 

“Tell me you’re not banging on the table!” Wynonna yelled. 

Nicole laughed. “Oops,” she smiled at Waverly.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” Waverly asked, standing up from the table. 

“Waves, uh, we’re drunk and I don’t want to-” Nicole started.

“Oh,” Waverly’s face dropped and she looked away from Nicole. 

“Oh no, I mean, I want to! I just didn’t want to take advantage of you when we’re not sober,” Nicole quickly explained. 

“Well you can’t say things like that because it makes me want you more,” Waverly pouted. 

“Like what?” 

“Being all respectful,” Waverly laughed. 

Nicole laughed. “How about I take you upstairs and get you to bed before I go back?” 

Waverly nodded and headed for the stairs. Nicole shut the door behind them as they entered the bedroom. Waverly start to remove her shirt to change and Nicole spun around, giving her privacy. She felt Waverly’s arms wrap around her from behind, sliding her hands under the redhead’s shirt, on her bare skin. Nicole took a sharp breath in, goosebumps forming on her skin. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and allowing the brunette to explore her body briefly with her hands. She felt the hands slide down her torso, over her abs that she involuntary had tightened at the feeling of Waverly’s hands on her body. Waverly slid her hands further down the redhead’s torso, landing them on the waistband of her jeans. Nicole placed her hands over Waverly’s stopping her from going any further. 

They stood in silence for a moment. Nicole took a deep breath in, she wanted desperately to allow Waverly’s hands to continue to move down her body. She could feel how turned on she was, desperate for release. Quickly, she spun around to face Waverly, wrapping her arms around the brunette’s torso. She pressed her lips fiercely against the Waverly’s, tongue darting into her mouth. Nicole pulled away, slightly out of breath. 

“I should probably go,” she said, pointing behind her. 

Waverly gave her a pouting lip. “Can’t you stay?” 

“If I stay I’m not going to be able to control myself,” Nicole whined slightly, kissing Waverly lightly on the neck. 

“Okay, okay!” Waverly gave Nicole a light kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Nicole winked. Giving her another quick kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Bright and early,” she winked. 

Nicole gave her a confused look. 

“I’m working breakfast,” she laughed. “It’s supposed to storm tomorrow so I’m not sure how much boarding you’ll get in either.” 

“Mom mentioned board games with the twins if it does storm,” Nicole laughed. “Maybe you can join?” 

“I’d love to,” Waverly smiled. 

“Goodnight, Waves,” Nicole gave the brunette one more kiss before leaving the room.    
  


When she returned back at her family’s suite, Nicole climbed up into the top bunk, sliding under the blanket, dropping her head to her pillow. She saw her brother’s face peering up at her from below her bed. 

“Can I help you?” Nicole laughed.

“So?” he asked. 

“So what?” Nicole asked.  

“You spent all day with Waverly. You can’t tell me nothing happened anymore!” Daniel told her. 

“You spent some of that time with us too, what do you think?” she laughed. 

“I think you’re in looove,” Daniel said, slightly singing the word ‘love.’

Nicole laughed, shaking her head at her brother.  

“How do you score a chick like that?” he asked. 

“I don’t use words like score and I don’t call women chicks,” Nicole laughed.  

“Ugh you know what I mean!” Daniel sighed.

“Will you two shut up?” Megan’s voice came from across the room. 

“Sorry, Meg,” Nicole said, apologetically.  

“All you ever talk about is girls. There’s more to life, you know?” Megan told them. 

“She’s just mad because she has a crush on a sophomore and he doesn’t want anything to do with her!” Daniel spat.

“Shut up, Dan! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Megan yelled back at her twin brother.

“I do know! He’s on my basketball team. He told me you were into him!” he informed her.

“Yeah and all you do is brag about having a sister who makes out with other girls because those idiots think it’s so cool!” Megan said. 

“Wait, what?” Nicole asked, confused. 

“Shut up, Megan!” Daniel yelled.  

“He brags about having a gay sister because his stupid friends think it’s hot! He’s stupid!” 

“Are you serious, Daniel?” Nicole asked. 

“I didn’t start it!” Daniel whined. 

“But you just go along with it!” Megan continued.

“What am I supposed to say?” Daniel asked.

“Um, that she’s your sister, not a sexual object! And hello, you have two sisters!” Megan reminded him.

“I’m sorry, Meg, I want them to like me,” Daniel admitted. 

“That doesn’t mean you have to be a jackass to the people that love you,” she told him.

“I’m sorry, Nicky,” Daniel said to his older sister, sympathetically. 

“Apology accepted, but seriously, don’t be a jackass. Especially not to Megan. Some of those guys would change their minds on how hot they think it is when they realize I’ve slept with some of their sisters,” Nicole told them.

“Wait, what?!” Daniel asked. 

“Gross,” Megan huffed. “But also hilarious,” she laughed.

“Love you too, Meg,” Nicole smiled. 

“You guys are still dumb,” Megan rolled her eyes. “But Waverly is pretty cool.” 

Nicole smiled at her sister. “She is.” 


	6. Chapter 6

As morning rolled in, so did an ice storm, causing the resort to close the slopes for the day. The Haughts were eating breakfast when a cheerful Waverly came bouncing into the room. Nicole glanced up and couldn’t help but smile at the brunette, who was still on the other side of the room, happily greeting other guests of the resort.

“You got it bad,” Megan said to her sister. 

Nicole quickly shot her sister a look. Waverly made her way across the room, sitting down next to Nicole at the table, her knee lightly brushing against the redhead’s. Nicole smiled to herself at the feeling of Waverly being that close to her.

“Good morning, Haughts,” Waverly smiled. 

“Good morning, Waverly,” Andrea smiled back at the brunette. 

“Hey, mom, I mentioned to Waves that we would be playing games today with the ice storm. Is it cool if she joins?” Nicole asked. Her hand dropped from the table, resting naturally on Waverly’s lower back. 

“Oh of course, Nicky,” Andrea smiled. “Waverly can spend everyday with us and I wouldn’t mind.” 

“You know she’s going to take you up on that offer mom,” Megan laughed. 

“Maybe I want someone cheery around,” Andrea winked. 

“She thinks we’re all too broody,” Megan explained, leaning back to make eye contact with Waverly. 

Waverly laughed. “Well, I don’t want to impose, but I think I’ll join you guys today when I’m done working,” she smiled. 

“Sounds great, Waverly,” Andrea smiles. 

Waverly placed her hand on Nicole’s leg and gently squeezed it. She stood up from the table and continued to clean other tables in the room. Nicole turned her head to see Waverly slightly bent over on of the nearby tables, wiping it down with a cloth. Her eyes traveled up her legs, noticing the way her jeans hugged her in all the right places. Her eyes landed on the small of her back where her sweater was slightly lifted, exposing bare skin. Nicole licked her lips as she stared, her eyes following the brunette as she moved to another table. 

“Dang, Nicky, you’re going to burn a hole in her,” her sister laughed. 

Nicole quickly looked back at her sister. “Huh?” 

Megan broke out into laughter, shaking her head at her sister. “And you always tell Dan to reel it in.” 

“You all need to reel it in,” Andrea told them. 

“Oh come on, mom!” Daniel said. “We’re cool kids,” he winked, nudging his mom slightly with his elbow. 

Andrea laughed and shook her head at her son. 

“Are you regretting the family vacation idea yet?” Megan laughed. 

“Nah,” Andrea smiled back at her kids.    
  


Nicole sat out on the balcony of their family suite flipping mindlessly through her phone. She heard the door slide open behind her and glanced up to see her sister joining her on the balcony, handing her a cup of hot chocolate. 

“Thanks,” Nicole smiled, gladly accepting the mug. 

“Whatcha doing out here?” Megan asked as she closed the door behind her. 

“Fresh air,” Nicole said. 

“It’s freezing rain out here,” Megan laughed.

“It’s covered,” Nicole laughed, gesturing above her. “It’s kind of peaceful listening to it hit the ground though,” she told her. 

“You can barely see the mountains anymore,” Megan said, looking off into the distance. 

“It’s like a whole different world out here,” Nicole laughed. 

“It’s pretty nice,” Megan smiled. “Don’t tell mom that I’m actually enjoying myself though,” she winked. 

Nicole laughed at her sister. “Secrets safe with me,” she winked. She felt her phone vibrate in her hand and looked down to see a text from Shae, causing her to make a confused face. 

“Is everything okay?” Megan asked 

“Yeah, Shae just texted me..” Nicole said, confused. 

“Why’s that weird?” Megan asked.

“We haven’t really been talking lately,” Nicole admitted. “And it wasn’t a text you send when you’re not talking,” she laughed. 

“First of all, ew,” Megan gagged. “I thought you guys were just friends now.” 

“We are, I mean, sort of. We were sort of more than that,” Nicole admitted. 

Megan pretended to be surprised. 

“But I wasn’t really interested in anything more with her. She wasn’t really a fan of that. So I told her maybe we’d talk about it later,” Nicole said.

“Apparently it’s later,” Megan laughed. “And apparently she wants to be more than friends if she’s sending you dirty photos.”

“Who said it was a photo?” Nicole asked, quickly.  

“I can read your face,” Megan laughed. 

“That’s something you better not be doing, by the way!” Nicole warned.

“Ew, no!” Megan said.

Nicole rolled her eyes and her sister and glanced back down briefly at her phone. She locked her phone and shoved it into her pocket without responding. “So do you want to tell me about this boy from school?” she asked, glancing back up at her sister.

Megan looked skeptical at first, then took a deep breath. “His name is Will. But wait, did you really sleep with Dan’s friends’ sisters?” 

“A couple,” Nicole laughed. “So his name is Will, huh?” 

“Yeah, but apparently he’s a jerk,” Megan rolled her eyes. 

“Look, I love our brother, but he fights dirty,” Nicole laughed. “I wouldn’t trust everything he says.”

“Well I’ve been ignoring wills texts all day,” Megan laughed. 

“Does he text you a lot?” Nicole asked. 

“He has been texting me a lot today,” Megan told her.  

“Text that poor boy back!” Nicole laughed.  

“Do you think he really talked about me with the basketball team? He’s so sweet when he talks to me,” Megan said, softly. 

“I’m not sure, Meg. He could just be trying to impress his friends. Dan is a good kid but he can be an ass too, you know? They’re teenage boys,” she laughed. “What has he said today?” 

“He just keeps asking if I’m okay and tells me that he misses me,” Megan said, glancing down at her phone. 

“Well, you know him better than me, so I say you do what’s best for you. But listen, if he’s not going to treat you right, he’s not worth any bit of your time or any bit of your thoughts,” Nicole warned. 

“Thanks, Nicole,” Megan smiled. “Hey, look, I’m sorry you’ve had to drop so much to help when dad got sick.” 

“Megan, it’s fine,” Nicole told her sister. 

“It’s not though. I guess I didn’t realize how much you did for us. I heard you and mom the other day, and I’m sorry,” Megan said, sincerely. 

“I didn’t mean for you to hear that. You really don’t have to be sorry,” Nicole said.  

The door slid open and their brother’s head popped his head outside. “Are you guys ready for games?” he asked. 

“Yeah!” Nicole said, cheerfully standing up from the bench.

“What are you guys doing out here anyway?” Daniel asked.

“Listening to the ice hit the ground,” Megan laughed, following her brother back into the house. “Thanks, Nicky,” she whispered to her sister as they entered the room. 

Nicole smiled back at her sister and made her way back into the room. 

“When’s Waverly coming over?” Andrea asked, carrying a stack of games into the room, setting them down on the table. 

“She can’t wait for the cheery one to get here,” Daniel laughed.

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard from her since this morning,” Nicole said, glancing down at her phone. She opened a new message to Waverly, typing into her phone. 

_ Nicole (2:35pm): hey there, you still down for game day?  _

_ Waverly (2:36pm): hell yeah!  _

Nicole laughed, shaking her head at her phone. She started to type another message when she received another text from Waverly. 

_ Waverly (2:36pm): any excuse to play with you..  _

Nicole’s eyes widened and she turned her phone so no one else could see it. 

“Man, what is she texting you that you need to hide it?” Daniel teased. 

Nicole shot him a look and looked back at her phone to respond. 

_ Waverly (2:37pm): sorry, I was helping Gus salt the sidewalks, I’ll be over soon!  _

_ Nicole (2:38pm): okay! _

About 15 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Nicole and her siblings were setting up the first game of the day, picked out by Megan, ‘Life.’ Andrea stood up to answer the door.

“Waverly, come in!” Andrea smiled, opening the door further for the brunette to enter.  

“Thank you, Mrs. Haught,” Waverly smiled as she entered the family suite. 

Nicole stood up from where she was seated and walked over to Waverly, greeting her as she entered. “Thanks for coming, Waves,” she smiled. 

“How bad is it out there?” Daniel called out.

“It’s pretty icy,” she said, taking her boots off. Nicole reached out to help her with her coat. “Chivalrous,” Waverly winked. Nicole pulled her coat off her shoulders and went to hang it up on a hook. A small package fell from the pocket. 

“Oh! I found this on the balcony at my house-” Waverly told her as she bent over to pick it up.

“Oh shit!” Nicole said.

“What is it?” Waverly asked, confused. 

“Come with me?” Nicole asked, leading Waverly into the bedroom nearby. 

“No funny business in there! I sleep in there too!” Daniel called out. 

“Knock it off,” Andrea gave her son a warning look. “We’re playing soon guys!” she called out to Nicole and Waverly.

“We’ll be right out!” Nicole called back to her mother, shutting the bedroom door behind her.  “It’s from my dad,” Nicole explained, holding the present up to show Waverly. “I had it in my back pocket and I must have dropped it when we went in the hot tub.”

“Do you know what it is?” Waverly asked.

“No, I was afraid to open it,” Nicole admitted, sitting down on one of the beds in the room. 

“Why?” Waverly asked, standing in front of the redhead.  

“It’s the last present I’ll ever get from him,” she said, softly.  

“Nicole-” Waverly said, softly, She placed her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole assured her, placing her hand over the brunette’s. 

Waverly leaned in and softly kissed Nicole on the cheek. “Do you want to open it now?” 

Nicole nodded and looked down at the small box in her hand. The wrapping paper was now a little mangled, but she could still make out “love dad,” on the label. She slowly peeled back the paper to reveal a small box. She opened the top of the box, noticing a key and a folded up paper inside.

“Find where the key goes, the rest is in there,” Nicole read the note out loud. “Wait, what?” she asked confused. 

“What kind of key is it?” Waverly asked.  

“I’m not sure, looks old,” Nicole said, holding the key up. 

“Is this something he normally does?” Waverly asked. 

“Dies and leaves cryptic messages? I’m not sure,” Nicole said frustrated. She stood up from the bed, slightly pacing the room.

“Nicole, I-” Waverly started, dropping her head toward the floor.

Nicole quickly realized the tone of her voice and her face softened, looking back at Waverly. Nicole made her way to Waverly and she gently placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted the brunette’s head, looking into her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, apologetically. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly told her.

“It’s not, I’m just confused and frustrated but that’s not your fault.” Nicole leaned down and laid a light kiss on Waverly’s lips. “How about we do more of this?” she asked, almost in a whisper as she slightly pulled away. 

Waverly smiled, leaning in for another kiss. “Okay,” she smiled. “But really, Nicole, if you need to talk about it, you know I’m here. I know I haven’t been here this whole time, but I am now.”

Nicole pressed her lips firmly against Waverly’s taking a deep breath in through her nose. The pair continued to kiss, Nicole’s hand slid up Waverly’s neck, to the back of her head, tangling her fingers in her hair. She pulled away after a bit of time. “Thank you,” she said, eyes still closed.

“We should probably get back out there,” Waverly gestured to the bedroom door.

“The Game of Life awaits,” Nicole winked. She slid the key and note into her pocket. Grabbing Waverly’s hand, she lead her out into the living room.    
  


“Dang, I wanted twins!” Daniel called out when he landed on a spot of the game requiring him to have a baby girl. 

“Sucks to suck!” Megan laughed, grabbing a gummy worm from the bag in her brother’s hand. 

“Megan Marie!” Andrea yelled at her daughter. 

“What?” Megan asked, innocently. 

“Language,” her mother warned. 

“Oh come on, mom!” Megan whined. 

“Yeah watch your mouth and step off my worms!” Daniel told her. 

Nicole laughed and took the bag of gummy worms from her brother. “Hey!” Daniel whined, reaching out for the bag. Nicole moved the bag quickly away from her younger brother’s reach, offering them to Waverly. “Oh, sure!” Daniel said. “Give them to your girlfriend!” 

Nicole started to cough and shoved her brother playfully with her free hand. Waverly laughed and reached her hand into the bag, taking gummy worms out. 

“Yeah, you can’t take gummy worms from this kid,” Megan gestures to her brother. “They’re like his crack,” she laughed. 

“You three are ridiculous!” Andrea sighed. “Waverly, I apologize for my children,” she winked.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she smiled.

“Thanks for coming,” Nicole said quietly to Waverly, smiling at the brunette.    
  


After playing games with her family, Nicole told Waverly she would walk her home and hang out with her away from her family for a while. As she took a step onto the road, Nicole’s feet slipped underneath her, causing her to slide forward and fall backward on her back. Waverly turned around to see Nicole on the ground. 

“Nicole!” She called out, running back over to her, Waverly almost slipped herself. 

“Be careful!” Nicole called out, sitting up on the ground. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asked, reaching out for the redheads hand. 

“Yeah,” Nicole said, reaching up for Waverly’s hand. She returned to her feet and the pair walked hand in hand down the road. 

“Here,” Waverly said, heading toward a nearby small, log cabin. She unlocked the door and lead Nicole inside. “We can make sure you’re not bleeding.” 

The cabin was dark and Waverly quickly shuffled across the room. Nicole stood in the doorway and watched her shadowed figure as she made her way across the room to a fireplace. 

Nicole closed the door behind her and turned back to watch the brunette light a fire in the fireplace. “Do you need help? She asked as she looked back toward the brunette.

“City girl knows how to light a fire?” Waverly teased.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Nicole winked as she made her way across the room. “Is this where we used to sneak into with Chrissy, Champ and Pete and play spin the bottle?” she laughed. 

“And Rosita,” Waverly rolled her eyes. 

“You know I was just kidding about her, Waves,” Nicole assured her. 

Waverly glared briefly at Nicole. “So if she was here you wouldn’t be interested?” 

“I’ve been kind of interested in someone else,” Nicole winked. She wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist, pulling her closer to her body. 

“You think you’re smooth,” Waverly laughed, kissing Nicole lightly on the lips. “Okay, let’s check your back,” she said as she pulled away. 

“Waves, I’m fine!” Nicole whined. 

“Prove it!” Waverly said began to pull up on Nicole’s sweatshirt. Nicole huffed and lifted her arms, allowing Waverly to remove the article of clothing. Under her sweatshirt, Nicole wore a tight fitted tank top. Waverly took a moment to admire the taller woman’s body in the shirt before reaching to remove it as well. 

“Okay, turn around,” Waverly said, trying to keep eye contact with Nicole, who was now standing in a sports bra and a pair of sweatpants. 

Nicole rotated so her back was to Waverly. Waverly looked closely at her back, running her fingers lightly on her bare skin. Nicole took a sharp breath in at the feeling of Waverly’s hands on her skin. 

“Does it hurt?” Waverly asked. 

“No,” Nicole said softly. 

Waverly started to lay light kisses on Nicole’s back, sliding her hands around the redheads waist. “Looks a little red, but not bad,” she whispered against Nicole’s back, causing a shiver to run down the redhead’s spine. 

“I told you I was okay,” Nicole smiled, turning around to face Waverly, still wrapped in her arms. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Waverly and smiled down at her. 

“Well, I got you out of your shirt,” Waverly winked. 

“You didn’t have to try that hard,” Nicole smiled, leaning down to kiss the brunette. 

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Waverly asked again.  

“I promise,” Nicole smiled, kissing Waverly lightly on the forehead. “My clothes are just wet.” 

Waverly pulled away briefly and draped Nicole’s shirt over a table near the fireplace. She slid the couch a little closer to the fireplace and sat down. She gestured for Nicole to sit next to her.

“I should probably,” Nicole gestured to the back of her pants that were also wet from her fall. Waverly nodded and Nicole slowly removed her sweatpants. She smiled nervously at Waverly, who was still watching her. 

“Oh, sorry,” Waverly said, turning away. 

“It’s okay,” Nicole said as she put her pants with her shirt and joined Waverly on the couch, wearing only her sports bra and a pair of boy shorts. 

“Are you cold?” Waverly asked, offering a blanket. 

“Isn’t that what the fire is for?” Nicole laughed.

“Well I wasn’t sure if you were used to how cold it gets up here yet. Plus you don’t have clothes on,” Waverly laughed.

“Yeah, I’m pretty cold,” Nicole laughed, taking the blanket from Waverly, draping it over her lap and pulling it over her body. 

Waverly laughed at the redhead as she curled up under the blanket. “So I had fun today,” she said.

“Yeah, Haught family game day can be wild,” she winked. 

“I love your family, Nicole. I always have,” she smiled. 

“They’re pretty cool,” Nicole laughed. 

“So you guys are really enjoying your time up here?” Waverly asked.

“We are. It’s funny, I didn’t know how I’d feel about it at first, but it’s been great,” Nicole explained. 

“Except for the fact that you’re leaving,” Waverly pouted.

“I have more than a week left,” Nicole laughed.

“Well maybe I like having you around,” Waverly said, sliding closer to Nicole, pulling the blanket over her lap as well.

“Maybe I like it too,” Nicole smiled, dimples showing.

“Why did you think you wouldn’t like it?” Waverly asked, shyly.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t like it, but I guess I was a little nervous. I mean, it’s been so long. I didn’t think I’d be able to board anymore, or how seeing you guys would be. Also it’s the first Christmas without my dad and we knew it was going to be hard. My siblings were pretty standoffish about it at first. I don’t think they really remember much before he got sick, it has sort of consumed our lives over the past 8 years or so.” 

“That makes sense,” Waverly said. “I’m glad you guys came back,” she smiled. 

“Me too,” Nicole said softly. She reached up and placed her hand gently on Waverly’s cheek. Waverly closed her eyes at the feeling and slowly breathed in. When she opened her eyes, Nicole was staring back at her.

“It’s not polite to stare,” Waverly winked.

“Sorry,” Nicole smiled sheepishly, dimple showing.

“You know that gets me right?” Waverly said.

“What?” Nicole asked, confused.

“That dimple,” she smirked, running her thumb gently over Nicole’s cheek.

Nicole smiled again at the brunette, a little bigger this time. She licked her lips and reached out her hand for Waverly to take. She gently pulled on Waverly’s arm, bringing her toward her. Nicole leaned back, allowing Waverly to get on top of her lap. Nicole softly smiled at Waverly as their lips gently connected. As the kiss grew more passionate, Waverly began to slide her hand down Nicole’s body, feeling her bare skin. Goosebumps began to form at the touch and Nicole took a sharp breath in at the feeling.

“Is this okay?” Waverly asked.

Nicole nodded, pulling Waverly back in for a kiss, hands on the back of her neck. Waverly’s hand continued to drift up further up to Nicole’s chest. Nicole felt Waverly’s fingers dance across her already hard nipple over her bra. Nicole let out a throaty moan at the feeling of Waverly’s hand on her body.

Nicole moved her hands down Waverlys body, dropping them to her waist. She started to gently run her fingers over the skin just above Waverly’s waistline. She felt Waverly take a deep breath in mid kiss.

“Is that okay?”  Nicole asked.

“Mmhmm,” Waverly nodded and she began to grind slightly on Nicole’s leg.

Nicole moaned softly at the feeling of the brunette grinding on her. She leaned her head back and Waverly began to lay kisses on her skin starting at her ear, making her way down to her collar bone. Nicole tugged slightly on Waverly’s shirt, making eye contact with her before she removed it. Waverly nodded and sat slightly up to help remove her shirt.

Waverly immediately continued laying kisses down the redhead’s neck. She slightly pulled at Nicole’s sports bra and the redhead quickly reached to remove it. Waverly’s eyes widen at the sight of Nicole’s pale skin, illuminated by the firelight and she immediately dropped her head down laying kisses across Nicole’s bare chest.

Nicole took another sharp breath in at the sensation. “Waves,” she breathed.

“Yeah?” Waverly asked, sitting up to see Nicole.

“Are you sure? We really don’t have to-”

“Do you not want to?” Waverly asked, pulling away slightly. 

“Oh, I want to,” Nicole breathed.

“Okay, good,” Waverly smiled as she continued to lay kisses on Nicole’s skin. “So do I.”

Waverly continued to grind slightly on Nicole’s leg as she reached for one of Nicole’s hands, pressing it gently between her legs, over her pants.

“Waverly,” Nicole moaned.

“I want you,” Waverly whispered softly into Nicole’s ear. Nicole let out a breath and nodded, undoing Waverly’s pants with one hand. Waverly helped as she slid them down and kicked them off of her ankles. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Nicole.”

“Mmm,” was all Nicole could get out as slid her hand back between Waverly’s legs feeling her wetness through the only remaining piece of clothing that she had on. Waverly let out a moan at the feeling, causing Nicole to move her fingers back and forth a little faster.

Waverly let out another moan as she kissed across Nicole’s chest, gently gliding her tongue over one of her hard nipples, taking it into her mouth with her lips. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot too,” Waverly moved back up to Nicole’s neck, whispering in her ear. Waverly felt Nicole’s breathing increase and her hips start to grind under her. “Especially after last night,” she said, slightly biting at Nicole’s neck.

“Sorry about that, Waves, I didn’t-” Nicole started.

“No,” Waverly cut her off. “It’s okay.” 

“I’ll make it up to you anyway,” Nicole smiled. 

“I may have taken care of it on my own last night,” Waverly winked.

“Mm wait, what?” Nicole took a sharp breath in, sliding her hand from the outside of Waverly’s underwear to underneath the fabric. “Like this?” she asked.

Waverly took a sharp breath in. “Just like that,” she moaned, bringing her mouth back over Nicole’s nipple. Waverly slid the remaining clothing down her legs, giving Nicole more access and started to grind her hips down in a rhythm over Nicole’s hand. Waverly took Nicole’s nipple into her mouth once more as she simultaneously slid her hand between Nicole’s legs, feeling how wet the redhead had gotten.

“Fuck,” Waverly breathed out, bringing her face back up to Nicole’s, looking her in the eye.

“All for you,” Nicole said as she felt Waverly’s fingers slide back and forth. “Shit Waverly, that feels good.” With her free hand, Nicole removed her remaining clothing as well, leaving her completing naked underneath Waverly’s body.

The pairs’ hips began to move in unison as their breathing became heavier. Nicole slid two fingers inside Waverly and began pumping in and out to the rhythm that their bodies were moving at.

Later that night, Nicole and Waverly were seated on the floor in front of the couch, closer to the fire, with a blanket wrapped around them. Nicole sat with her back up against the couch with her arm around Waverly, who was leaning up against her side.

“Are you cold?” Nicole asked Waverly.

“A little,” she smiled, sheepishly.

“I thought mountain girls were used to the cold,” Nicole winked as she pulled Waverly closer to her body.

“Not when we’re naked,” Waverly laughed. 

Nicole wrapped the blanket further around Waverly’s body to be sure she was fully covered. Nicole yawned and leaned back on the couch behind them.

“Are you tired?” Waverly asked. “Should I get you home?”

Nicole grunted, eye closed. Waverly started to laugh.

“You’re cute,” Waverly smiled, kissing Nicole on the cheek.

Nicole smiled and squinted one eye open, looking toward Waverly. Waverly’s face was still close to Nicole’s. The redhead leaned in and connected her lips with Waverly’s. Nicole quickly maneuvered herself on top of the brunette, keeping the blanket over both of them. Nicole placed her knees on the floor on either side of Waverly’s legs.

“How cute?” She winked.

“Very,” Waverly smiled, pulling Nicole back in for a kiss.

The kiss grew deeper and Nicole pressed her naked body up against Waverly’s.

“Mm,” Waverly moaned softly into Nicole’s kiss. “You keep that up and I’m never taking you home.”

Nicole began to kiss down the brunette’s cheek, to her neck, down her collarbone.

“How about this?” Nicole smiled. 

Nicole felt Waverly’s breathing begin to increase as she continued to kiss down her body. As she continued to move south, she made slow circles around Waverly’s nipple with her tongue.

Waverly took a sharp breath in and arched her back. Nicole continued to kiss down Waverly’s body, down her abs, to her inner thighs.

“Is this okay?” Nicole asked.

Waverly nodded and let out a small moan when she felt Nicole move up from her thigh, between her legs, licking long strokes with her tongue.

“Fuck, Nicole!” Waverly called out as she laid fully back on her back on the rug.   
  


The next morning the pair woke up on the rug in front of the fireplace, wrapped in each other’s arms, under the blanket. Nicole squinted her eyes open to see Waverly sleeping next to her. She smiled softly to herself. Sunlight shone through the window.

“Oh shit,” Nicole said, sitting up.

“What’s wrong?” Waverly asked, opening her eyes to see the redhead sitting up next to her.

“It’s morning,” Nicole said quickly. 

“Oh shoot, sorry Nicole! Is your mom going to be mad?” Waverly asked.

Nicole rolled over and grabbed her phone off of the coffee table. “I’m not sure,” she laughed slightly. 

_ Nicole (7:35am): hey mom, sorry I was out with Waverly and I ended up falling asleep at her place. I’ll be back soon _

_ Mom (7:36am): no problem, sweetheart. See you at breakfast? _

_ Nicole (7:36am): I’ll be there soon!  _

“Wow, that was easier than I thought,” Nicole laughed and she stood up and found her clothes, sliding them back on her body.

Waverly groaned. “Do you have to wear clothes?”

“I don’t think eating breakfast with my family, naked, is a great idea,” Nicole winked.

“I can think of other naked activities,” Waverly winked.

“As great as that sounds,” Nicole smiled, kissing Waverly softly on the lips, “I just told my mom I’d meet them for breakfast.” 

“Ugh, fine!” Waverly groaned as she climbed out of the blankets and pulled her clothes back onto her body.   
  



	7. Chapter 7

The walk back to Waverly’s house was more hands on that it normally was. Nicole wrapped her arm around Waverly’s waist, placing her hand on her hip. Every few steps, the pair would stop and share a kiss.

“Okay, we're never going to get back if we keep doing this,” Waverly laughed.

Nicole sighed and moved so she was facing Waverly. She wrapped her arms around the brunette and pulled her close to her body. Gently placing her finger under Waverly’s chin, she tilted her head upward and laid a soft kiss on her lips. “Stop being so kissable then,” she laughed as she took Waverly’s hand in her own and began walking again, leading them back to Waverly’s house.

As the pair rounded the corner to Waverly’s house, they saw someone walking out of the woods behind the house. They stopped in their tracks, Nicole put her hand out across Waverly’s stomach as a form of protection. She glanced around the corner of the house, gesturing from Waverly to stay where she was. Ignoring Nicole’s request, Waverly followed the redhead around the house.

“Dolls?” Waverly called out, when the recognizable figure came into view.

“Waves, hey!” Dolls smiled.

“What are you doing?” Nicole asked.

“Oh, I was just, uh-” Dolls stuttered, gesturing behind him, toward the woods. “I thought I heard something back there.”

“Okay?” Waverly said, skeptically.

“What are you guys up to today?” Dolls asked quickly, changing the subject.

“I actually should get going,” Nicole said. “Breakfast plans with the fam,” she laughed, gesturing over her shoulder. She smiled down at Waverly.

“I’ll see you later,” Waverly smiled at Nicole, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

Dolls smiled, knowingly at the pair. “I’ll, uh, meet you inside? I’m going to see what your sister is up to.”

“Wait for me on the porch?” Waverly asked.

Dolls nodded and gave the pair privacy, making his way around to the front of the house. Waverly smiled back at Nicole.

“What do you think he was really doing?” Nicole asked.

“That’s what I’m going to find out,” Waverly told her.

“Do you need me to stay?” Nicole asked.

“No, go see your family,” Waverly smiled. “I’ll find you guys later,” she told her.

“Okay,” Nicole said, leaning down, pressing her lips against Waverly’s once more before turning to go back to find her family.

Waverly watched as Nicole walked away. Nicole briefly glanced back at Waverly, flashing her a dimpled smile, before turning back around and walking out of sight. Waverly smiled to herself and turned to find Dolls on the front porch.

“Okay,” Waverly said as she approached the porch. “Now what’s really going on?”

“I told you, I thought I heard someone,” the man repeated.

“Why are you outside of our house in the first place?” Waverly questioned, pointing a finger at Dolls.

“I was just stopping by to say hi,” Dolls explained. “I have the day off.”

“You’re never around on your day off,” Waverly said, speculating that he wasn’t telling the truth.

“People can surprise you,” he said with a smile, turning to open the front door of the house.

“Look, Xavier, I’m not sure what’s going on with you and my sister and Doc…” Waverly started.

“Wait, what?” Dolls asked, turning around to face the brunette.

“What? Oh no! Not like that! I mean, if it is then whatever, but that’s not what I meant!” Waverly stuttered.

“Look, Waves, there’s nothing going on between me and your sister,” Dolls told her. “We’re just friends. And as for Doc, there’s definitely nothing going on between us,” he laughed.

“Okay, well, then you guys need to stop sneaking around outside of our house, it’s beginning to freak me out!” Waverly sighed.

“What do you mean ‘you guys,’ Waverly?” Dolls asked.

“Uh- I mean, I meant you,” she said, looking toward the ground.

“Waverly…” Dolls said, looking for more information.

“Okay, fine! I saw Doc out there the other night,” Waverly admitted. “Please don’t tell Wynonna though!” she warned.

“Why?” Dolls asked.

“Because she thought he was sleeping that night and I don’t know what he was up to,” Waverly admitted. “Unless it’s going to hurt my sister, then I’m in.”

“Don’t you think that’s something you should tell her? If her boyfriend is sneaking around outside the house at night?” Dolls asked.

“He told me not to say anything,” she trailed off.

“Listen, Waves, if you see anything like that again, come to me, okay?” Dolls asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“But why, Dolls? What the hell is going on?” she asked, frustrated.

“Just trust me,” Dolls repeated.

“Dolls, is there something you’re not telling me?” Waverly asked.

“No,” Dolls said, plainly.

“Xavier-” Waverly warned.

“Waverly, somethings I can’t talk about. But trust me,” Dolls said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Waverly asked, becoming more frustrated.

“Waverly, please,” Dolls said, softly.

“Fine! But if this has to do with my sister and if she is in trouble, I swear!” she warned, pushing a finger into Dolls’ shoulder.

“I’ll protect your sister, Waverly,” Dolls said, genuinely.

Waverly sighed, still feeling uneasy about the interaction with Dolls as she watched the tall man walk into the house. She lingered on the front porch for a minute, then made her way into the house, heading upstairs to the bathroom. She could hear faint talking coming from her sister’s room as she walked past it. She wanted to stop and listen, but something in her trusted Dolls, regardless of how crazy he sounded just a few minutes ago.

She closed the bathroom door and turned the water on in the shower, adjusting the temperature before stripping her clothes off and stepping into the shower. Waverly let the running water hit her face, running her fingers through her hair. Turning her back to the water, she lathered up soap and began to wash her body. Waverly closed her eyes and she could still feel Nicole’s hands on her body. She smiled to herself at the thought of the redhead. She was a little shocked with herself at how quickly she had grown attached to the idea of having Nicole around. She knew it wasn’t permanent, but this was the first time in a long time that she had felt this kind of connection with another human being. She tried not to think about the fact that Nicole would be leaving to back to her life in the city, it was something they hadn’t really talked about yet either.

 

“He’s not into gang related activity, Dolls! Don’t be ridiculous!” Wynonna yelled, standing up from her bed.

“First of all, you might want to lower your voice. Waverly is getting suspicious,” Dolls said in a hushed tone.

Wynonna nervously glanced toward her bedroom door. “Fine,” she whispered.

“Okay, Wynonna, hear me out…” Dolls continued.

“Dolls, are you sure this isn’t just your way of turning me off from Doc?” Wynonna huffed.

“While I still don’t see what you see in that cowboy, that’s not the point here,” Dolls explained.

“Come on, Dolls, this isn’t about your crush?” Wynonna asked, moving closer to the man. She brought her face closer to Dolls’ face, her body pressed up against his. Dolls placed his hand on the small of Wynonna’s back. He leaned his face close enough that Wynonna could feel his breath on her lips.

“It’s not a crush,” he breathed as he moved away from the brunette.

Wynonna huffed and playfully pushed Dolls. “Okay, so if Doc is in a gang, what does that have to do with anything?”

“I think he’s involved with Del Ray,” Dolls said.

“We’re still talking about Doc Holliday right? Henry Holliday?” Wynonna asked, not believing what he was insinuating.

“Wynonna, please, trust me on this,” Dolls told her. “When have I ever been wrong on a case?”

Wynonna stopped and looked Dolls in the eye. She tried to get a good read on him, knowing that she wasn’t going to see anything but genuine concern and speculation. She had been working with this man for years and she knew that when he had a hunch, it really did mean something. “Fine,” she sighed, sitting back on the bed. “What do you need me to do?” She asked, glancing up at the man standing in front of her.

“Just be normal. He can’t know anything is up,” Dolls informed her.

“Oh sure, let me continue on normally as if my boyfriend isn’t part of the gang that tried to take my family down!” Wynonna said in a slightly panicked tone.

“I got your back, Earp,” Dolls said, placing a hand on the brunette’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Dolls,” she smiled at him, placing her hand on top of his.

 

Nicole entered the mess hall to find her family sitting at what seemed to become their normal breakfast table. She smiled at her mom, who made eye contact with her from across the room.

“Nicky, I’m glad you’ve graced us with your presence this morning,” Andrea laughed. “You could have stopped and changed.” Nicole glanced down at her clothes, realizing they were the same clothes she left in the day before. She pulled slightly on her hoodie, pretending to straighten out non existent wrinkles.

“Welcome to the walk of shame, mom,” Daniel laughed.

“How do you even know what that means?” Nicole asked as she took a seat next to her brother, stealing a strawberry from his plate.

“He watches MTV,” Megan informed her with a laugh.

“What does it mean?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah, no,” Nicole shook her head at her mom. The twins both broke out into laughter.

“We’ll tell you when you’re older,” Daniel said to his mother.

“You guys are ridiculous,” Andrea laughed.

“But you love us,” Megan grinned.

“Most days,” Andrea retorted back at her.

“I think I’m going to go shower now so I’m ready when you guys are done eating,” Nicole said, standing up from the table.

“You’re not hungry?” Andrea asked.

“Nah,” Nicole said, stealing another strawberry from her brother.

“Get your own!” Daniel whined, swatting at his sister’s hand.

“These ones are better,” she winked, lightly nudging her brother. “Catch you guys later,” Nicole said, spinning in her heels as she turned to leave. She made way back out into the cold and back to the cabin where her family’s suite was.

She winced slightly when she removed her sweatshirt from her body. She gently pulled her tank top from her body and turned around to look at her back in the mirror. “Shit,” she said, noticing the bruises that have now formed near her spine. “Great,” she huffed.

 

“Nicky, you’re moving so slow today, what’s up?” Megan asked as she came up behind Nicole on the top of the hill as they were snowboarding a little later that day.

“My back hurts,” Nicole sighed.

“Ew, yeah, I don’t want to know,” Megan laughed.

“Yeah, not like that,” Nicole laughed. “I fell on the ice last night walking Waverly home.”

“Do you need to get it looked at?” Megan asked, now concerned.

“It’s just bruised,” Nicole said, standing up on her board.

“Maybe you should rest it,” Megan suggested.

“I’ll be good,” Nicole said, moving to the edge of the slopes.

Nicole moved her board to be edge of the mountain and took a deep breath and she began her descent to the bottom. Nicole made it most of the way when when the pain in her back came back with a vengeance. She grabbed her back in attempts to ease the pain so she could safely make it to the bottom. The twist her of body threw off her balance causing her to topple over, taking the rest of the ride on her back. At the bottom, of the mountain, Nicole laid still momentarily. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. She could hear the crunching of the snow as people surrounded her, all talking at once.

Squinting her eyes back open, Nicole saw her siblings towering over her. They both had looks of panic on their faces. “Nicky!” Daniel yelled.

“I’m fine,” she grunted.

She felt someone remove her feet from her bindings. “Can you move your feet for me?” The voice asked.

Nicole looked down to see a man sitting near her legs. He wore a paramedic jacket and had an orange stretcher next to him.

“Guys, I’m fine!” Nicole sighed, attempting to sit up.

“We’re just going to take you to get looked at, you took a pretty gnarly fall,” the man said, encouraging Nicole to lay back down.

“I’m fine.” Nicole said. “See?” She wiggled her feet for the man.

“Sorry, Miss, it’s just protocol,” he said.

“Okay, fine,” she huffed. “Can I walk to the vehicle though? I really don’t need to be carried,” she gestured to the stretcher.

“My sister is stubborn,” Daniel warned him.

“Fine,” the man said, standing up and reaching his hand out to help Nicole stand. Daniel And Megan put their hands out to help support her.

“I’ll call mom,” Megan said, reaching into her pocket for her phone.

“Start by telling her I’m fine,” Nicole suggested as she began walking to the vehicle with the man.

“I’m Steven, by the way,” the man said, smiling at Nicole.

“Nicole,” she stated, still somewhat annoyed that she was on her way to the medic and unable to continue snowboarding.

 

The short ride to the medical cabin was quiet, Nicole debated on whether or not she should text Waverly and let her know what had happened. She figured it wouldn’t take long for word to reach her anyway. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to worry her about something that was actually nothing. Steven parked the vehicle and quickly ran around to the other side to open the door for Nicole. He reached a hand out to help her out. “I’m okay,” she assured her. He quickly moved his hand and allowed the redhead to climb out on her own.

Nicole followed the man into the cabin and sat down in one of the rooms. “We’ll be right in,” he told her.

After what seemed like hours to Nicole, but in reality was probably only a few minutes, the door swung open and Waverly’s face appeared in the doorway.

She didn’t speak, instead she shut the door behind her and rushed over to Nicole’s side. Waverly started to lay kisses on Nicole’s face.

“Waves,” Nicole said, softly.

“What happened?!” Waverly asked, concerned, pulling away from Nicole slightly.  

“I just took a spill,” Nicole said. “I’m fine!”

“What hurts?” Waverly asked.

“My back was a little sore from falling yesterday, it threw me off balance,” Nicole explained.

“Can I look?” Waverly asked, pulling at Nicole’s jacket. Nicole sighed and allowed Waverly to help her remove her jacket. She winced slightly at the pain, trying to hide her face from the brunette. “Sorry,” Waverly said, apologetically.

“It’s fine, I’m fine. I swear!” Nicole told her.

Nicole pulled her arms out of her jacket and allowed Waverly to take it from her. She placed it on a nearby chair and began to lift the back of Nicole’s sweatshirt. The door suddenly flung open and Andrea appeared in the doorway.

“Hey, mom,” Nicole flashed her a half smile, her face still pain stricken.

“Nicky!” Andrea entered the room fully.

Nicole quickly moved Waverly’s hand away from her back and quickly pulled her sweatshirt back down.  “I’m fine, mom,” Nicole groaned.

“She fell on ice yesterday,” Waverly told her.

“Wait, what?” Andrea asked.

Nicole shot Waverly a look. Waverly looked back at her apologetically.

“You got hurt?” Andrea asked.

“Mom, I just slipped on ice and had some bruises this morning. I’m fine!” She sighed, leaning her head back on the bed. “Ow,” she said, touching her back.

“Let me look,” Andrea said, lifting Nicole’s sweatshirt.

Waverly moved out of the way, allowing for Andrea to look at her daughters back. The door opened again and a doctor entered the room.

“Waverly, are you breaking our guests?” He laughed as he saw the brunette in the room.

“She’s important to me, so make sure you take good care of her,” Waverly smiled.

“Will do,” he smiled back. “Okay, Nicole, were just going to check out your back and we’ll get you out as soon as possible.”

Nicole smiled and nodded at the doctor. Andrea and Waverly moved to the other side of the room to allow him space to examine Nicole. She removed her hoodie and shirt to reveal her bruised back. Her back appeared swollen in other areas now, other than the bruising on her spine. Nicole explained that she had fallen on ice and bruising didn’t appear until this morning. The doctor told Nicole that they would run some X-rays to check for bone fractures. Andrea thanked the doctor as he brought Nicole in for X-rays.

The X-ray results came back showing Nicole’s back was just badly bruised. The doctor advised her to rest for the rest of the day and to take the next day off from snowboarding to give her back more time to heal. Nicole thanked the doctor and the paramedic that helped her on her way out the door.

 

Waverly agreed to help Nicole back to their suite while Andrea went to find the twins. Nicole walked into her suite with Waverly in toe, slumping down onto the couch.

“Do you need anything?” Waverly asked.

“Drugs,” Nicole whined, throwing her head back on the back of the couch.

Waverly laughed and made her way over to the redhead, cupping her hands on her face and leaning down to kiss her face. “How about some aspirin and ice?” Waverly asked.

“Will you come join me on the couch also?” Nicole asked.

“Of course,” Waverly smiled, bouncing across the room to get what she needed. She returned soon after with ice, aspirin and a glass of water. She plopped down on the couch next to Nicole. “Here,” she said, handing the redhead the glass of water and aspirin.

Nicole swallowed the pills and leaned forward, allowing Waverly to put ice on her back. She leaned back gently on the ice pack. “Thanks,” she smiled.

“Of course,” Waverly smiled, standing up and grabbing a blanket to place it on Nicole’s lap.

“You really don’t have to take care of me, Waves,” Nicole said. “It’s just a bruise.”

“You need to swallow a little of that pride of yours,” Waverly told her, standing in front of Nicole, smiling down at her.

“Never,” Nicole grinned, dimple showing. She placed her hands on the back of Waverly’s thighs, pulling her closer to her.

The sound of the door handle turning came from behind Waverly and Nicole quickly dropped her hands to her side. Waverly turned to see Andrea and the twins entering the suite. Waverly sat down on the couch next to Nicole.

“What up cripple?” Daniel teased his sister.

“Daniel Joseph!” Andrea huffed at her son.

“I’m only kidding!” Daniel whined. “You okay?” he asked, turning to look at his sister.

“I’m good,” she smiled. “This will give you a couple more days to get practice in so you can keep up with me on the mountain,” she winked.

“Sure, you did that just to give me the advantage?” he asked, laughing at his sister.

“Well how about we try to stay on our feet from now on?” Andrea suggested. “Trying to give mom a heart attack?”

“Just like to keep you on your toes, mom,” Nicole winked.

Andrea shook her head at her daughter. “Are you hungry? Do you need anything?” she asked.

“Nah, Waverly gave me drugs and ice, I’m good,” she laughed.

“Nicky, you need to eat,” Andrea told her.

“I will,” Nicole assured her.

“Geez, mom, let nurse Waverly take care of her,” Megan teased her sister.

Waverly laughed and winked at Nicole. Nicole started to look slightly uncomfortable. “She’s being a good friend,” Nicole said to her family. Waverly’s face dropped slightly, but she tried not to take offense to the comment, knowing that Nicole was frustrated about getting hurt.

“What are you guys doing the rest of the day?” Nicole asked her family.

“Meg and I were probably going to go board more if that’s cool,” Daniel told her.

“Of course,” Andrea said. “I was going to have dinner with Gus tonight, are you kids okay on your own for a while tonight?”

“Yeah, mom,” Megan told her. “We can handle ourselves.”

“Don’t make me regret that,” Andrea warned, turning to face her son.

“Wait, why am I the one being warned?!” he whined.

Andrea took two fingers, pointing them at her eyes and then to her son.

“Mom, just...don’t,” Megan laughed. “Dan, let’s go before mom starts the cool mom thing again,” she warned her brother. Daniel nodded and followed his sister out the door.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Andrea asked Nicole.

“No, mom,” Nicole told her her. “I’m good,” she smiled.

“I’ll take care of her, Mrs. Haught,” Waverly assured her.

“Thanks,” Andrea winked. “I’ll see you ladies later,” she smiled as she walked out the door.

Nicole sighed, leaning her head back on couch when she heard the click of the door closing. She closed her eyes and sat in silence for a moment, placing her hand over on Waverly’s lap. “Sweet silence,” Nicole smiled.

Waverly laughed softly. Nicole squinted one eye open and glanced over at Waverly, who was staring off into the distance. “You okay?” she asked, opening her other eye and turning her head to face Waverly.

“Can I ask you something?” Waverly asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Nicole told her.

“It’s stupid,” Waverly said and turned away from Nicole.

“Hey,” Nicole reached over and took Waverly’s hand in her own. “Nothing you say is stupid.”

“I just feel like I’m being sensitive,” Waverly admitted.

“Waves, you can tell me anything,” Nicole said, genuinely. She brought Waverly’s hand close to her face and gently kissed it.

“I know we haven’t really discussed what’s been going on,” Waverly started. “But do you not want your family to know about us?” she asked. “I mean, assuming, you know, there’s sort of an us, right?” she stuttered.

“Huh?” Nicole asked. “I’m not trying to hide you!” Nicole told her. “I honestly just don’t really talk about that stuff with them. Not in detail at least,” she said.

“It’s fine, I just felt a little weird about it,” Waverly admitted.

“It’s not fine, Waves,” Nicole said. “I don’t want you to feel that way. Look, I know it’s a little crazy, I haven’t been here long, but there’s something about you,” she smiled at the brunette. “I’ve spent so many years not really thinking about how I feel about things. I always put everyone else before me, so this whole ‘doing things for me’ thing is super new to me. And I don’t want that to sound like an excuse or make you feel like you don’t matter, because you matter a whole lot,” she assured her.

“Is that a special talent of yours?” Waverly smirked as she turned to face Nicole, tucking one leg underneath her on the couch.

“What?” Nicole asked, confused.

“Smooth talking,” she laughed.

“I mean it though,” Nicole told her. “You’re incredible, Waverly,” she smiled. “I’m just not the best at this feelings thing,” she admitted. “But they’re there.”

Waverly leaned over, laying a kiss on Nicole’s cheek causing the redhead to smile.

“Really though,” Nicole said. “Thank you for taking care of me. I feel worthless when I’m hurt,” she sighed.  

“I’ll take care of anything you need,” Waverly told her, placing her hand on Nicole’s thigh, sliding it further up.

“Mm,” Nicole sighed, throwing her head back on the couch. “Sure, we have the place to ourselves and I’m a damn cripple,” she whined.

Waverly laughed and slid her hand back down toward Nicole’s knee. Nicole pouted playfully. “I mean, my hands aren’t crippled,” she gave Waverly a quick wink, sliding her hand around Waverly’s thigh.

“You need to rest!” Waverly laughed.

“Fine!” Nicole huffed, causing Waverly to laugh harder. “Why don’t we watch a movie?” Nicole suggested as she started to stand up from the couch.

“No! Sit! I’ll take care of it,” Waverly told her.

“I just need to stand for a minute,” Nicole told her. “And I really need to use the bathroom,” she laughed.

“Okay, I guess that’s something I can’t do for you,” Waverly laughed.

Nicole laughed and shook her head at the brunette, making her way into the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror and lifted the back of her shirt, turning around to see her back. She cringed at the sight of her back, but did notice the swelling had been going down, which she was relieved about.

When she left the bathroom, she found Waverly sitting on the couch with the tv remote in her hand, flipping mindlessly through the channels. She smiled at the brunette as she returned to the couch.

“Your phones been blowing up, Hollywood,” Waverly teased, gesturing to Nicole’s phone on the coffee table.

“Weird,” Nicole laughed. “Unless it’s my family, no one is ever trying to reach me,” she said, picking up her phone. “But I also have the only person I want to talk to right here.”

Waverly smiled and curled up into Nicole’s side. Nicole draped her arm over the back of the couch, allowing Waverly more space to move in closer to her. She unlocked her phone and clicked on her new text message alert without paying mind to who it was from. When she opened the text, Shae’s messages popped up along with the bottom part of the photo she had sent earlier. Waverly glanced nonchalantly at Nicole’s phone and Nicole looked down, quickly locking her phone and tossing it to the side, hoping Waverly didn’t get that good of a look at her messages.

“Who’s that?” Waverly asked, softly.

Nicole swallowed hard before she spoke. “Shae.”

“And Shae is…?” Waverly questioned.

“A girl from home. We’re friends, sort of. Well, we were more than friends but we haven’t been that in months. I didn’t really have feelings for her so I backed off and she wasn’t really a fan of that,” Nicole tried to explain.

“But she just randomly sends you dirty photos?” Waverly asked, sitting up, away from Nicole.

“Man, I’m just striking out left and right today,” Nicole sighed, running her face with her hands.

“I just don’t understand why she would she send you a photo like that if there’s nothing going on with you two,” Waverly told her, beginning to become more upset.

“I mean, I don’t get it either. And I didn’t ask her, I didn’t even respond. You can look,” Nicole told her.

“Yeah, no thanks,” Waverly said.

“Waves, trust me, it’s seriously nothing,” Nicole tried to explain. “I was talking with Megan when I got the text and i forgot to delete it. I wouldn’t be talking to someone else and doing what I’m doing with you.”

“I want to believe that, I really do,” Waverly said.

“But you don’t?” Nicole asked.

“I guess it’s just hard because I don’t actually know you that well anymore. And even if it feels like I do, I know we’re not the same people we were when we were kids,” Waverly started.

“Wow, okay,” Nicole said, unsure what else to say.

“Nicole, I mean…” Waverly tried to defend herself.

“Waverly, if you don’t trust me then I’m not sure what else to do,” Nicole said, standing up and walking toward her room. “Feel free to look through all my messages if you need.” She entered her room and sat down at her bed, frustrated.

A little while later, there was a knock at the door and the door opened slowly. “Can I come in?” Waverly asked, softly.

Nicole nodded and Waverly entered the room fully. “I’m sorry,” she said right away. “I didn’t look at your messages,” she told her, walking over and standing in front of the redhead. “I don’t have to,” she said.

Nicole looked up at Waverly, still a little hurt. “I don’t have to because I do trust you,” Waverly told her, gently cupping the redhead’s face in her hands. “You scare the crap out of me, Nicole,” Waverly continued to explain. “But in the most wonderful and beautiful way.”

Nicole began to smile, face still in Waverly's hands. “I scare you?” She asked.

Waverly nodded, smiling at the redhead. She leaned down, connecting their lips together. “You came back here and I’ve never felt what I feel when I’m around you. And I don’t know what this is or what it’s going to be and that scares me but it also excites me. It makes me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a long time and I’m not willing to give that up just yet,” Waverly explained. “I’m really sorry, Nicole.” she repeated.

The smile on Nicole’s face grew from ear to ear. She tried to lean over toward Waverly, but winced at the pain. Waverly stopped her and moved toward her instead. Their lips crashed together and Nicole moved her hands to Waverly’s cheeks. The kiss deepened and Waverly moved her legs to either side of Nicole’s. Nicole’s hands slid down Waverly’s body, stopping on her hips. They pulled apart after a moment, partially out of breath.

“Okay, okay,” Nicole breathed. “About that movie,” she laughed.

“Sorry,” Waverly said sheepishly.

Nicole stood up from the bed. “Don’t be,” she smiled. “I’ll delete the messages. I haven’t even really talked to her in weeks.”

“Hey,” Waverly said. “You really don’t have to keep explaining.”

Nicole nodded and took Waverly’s hand, leading her out into the living room. Picking up her phone, she unlocked it and slid her finger over Shae’s messages, deleting them all. The pair settled back into the couch. Nicole at in the corner with her arm up on the back of the couch. Waverly slid in close to Nicole’s body, leaning gently against the redhead.

“Is this okay on your back?” Waverly asked.

Nicole nodded and smiled at the brunette. They turned their attention toward the tv. Nicole slid her hand down, taking Waverly’s hand in her own.

 

Later that night, the suite door swung open and Andrea entered the suite to see Nicole and Waverly asleep on the couch. The twins were sitting nearby, watching tv.

“We didn’t want to wake them,” Daniel told her, gesturing toward his sister and Waverly.

“They were too cute,” Megan laughed.

Andrea laughed and smiled at her oldest daughter who was passed out in the corner of the couch with the brunette curled up in her arms. “They really are,” she smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

As Waverly slept, she found herself falling back into the familiar dream and she wished she could forget.

_There was a sudden sound of a gunshot from the distance. Waverly’s eyes grew big as she continued to watch. Her father dropped to the ground, lifeless. Waverly gasped, trying to scream but no sound came out. She quickly crawled back to her bed, climbing in and pulling the covers up to her face._

_“Wynonna!” she was finally able to scream._ “Wynonna!

Wynonna! Wynonna!”

“Waves,” Nicole jolted awake and slightly shook the brunette in attempts to wake her. Waverly shifted slightly, but was still asleep. Her face looked slightly panicked “Waves,” Nicole shook the brunette once more, causing her to jolt awake.

“Huh?” Waverly said, opening her eyes. When her eyes were fully open, she realized she was in the Haught’s living room still, sitting on the couch with Nicole. “Oh, uh, sorry,” she said, slightly embarrassed.

“Are you okay?” Nicole asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I, uh, just had a bad dream,” Waverly stuttered. She glanced down at the time. “I should probably get home,” she said, softly.

“Do you want to talk about it? You can stay,” Nicole suggested, still concerned about what just happened to Waverly.

“No, I’m fine,” Waverly smiled softly at the redhead, placing a hand on her thigh.

“I can walk you,” Nicole said, starting to stand up from the couch.

“No,” Andrea said from the other side of the room. “You stay,” she pointed at Nicole.

“Mom, I’m fine!” Nicole whined, attempting to stand back up. A sharp pain shot through her back and she hissed in pain. Sitting back down again, she sighed.

“Let me get you more aspirin before I go,” Waverly smiled at Nicole, patting her on the leg before standing up from the couch.

Andrea winked and her daughter and Nicole shook her head at her mother. “You need to rest,” Andrea warned.

“I know,” Nicole pouted. “I’m sleeping out here,” she said, stretching out on the couch. “There’s no way I’m climbing to the top bunk tonight,” she laughed.

Waverly handed Nicole aspirin and another glass of water. “Thanks,” Nicole said, softly, swallowing the pills quickly. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked.

Waverly nodded and smiled at Nicole, moving closer to her. Nicole glanced past the brunette, making eye contact with her mother. Andrea have her daughter a knowing look at stepped into the other room. “I’m just going to grab my jacket,” Andrea said loud enough for the pair to hear.

Waverly broke eye contact with Nicole and looked back at Andrea as she stepped out of the room.

“Quick,” Nicole said, pulling Waverly close to her. She laid a few soft kisses on the brunette’s lips before Waverly stood back up, hand still in Nicole’s. Waverly laughed lightly, smiling at the redhead.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told her, disconnecting her hand from Nicole’s and turning to find Andrea. Nicole smiled and watched as the brunette left the room.

“I’ll be back!” Andrea called out as she and Waverly left the suite.  


 

“Thanks for walking me back, Mrs. Haught,” Waverly said when they made their way into the cold of the night. “I walk this place all the time at night, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little company,” she smiled.

“No problem, Waverly,” Andrea smiled. “Thanks for taking care of Nicole tonight,” she told her.

“Oh, it’s not a problem at all!” Waverly said, cheerfully. “I’m sorry she got hurt,” she said.

“She’s tough, she’ll bounce back,” Andrea told her.

“Between you and me,” Waverly began. “I think she likes to act tougher than she is,” she laughed.

“You hit the nail on the head,” Andrea laughed. “I’m happy you two are getting along so well again. She needs people like you in her life.”

“You have some pretty cool kids, Mrs. Haught,” Waverly smiled, unsure of how many details she should actually give away about the nature of the connection between her and Nicole.

“Thanks,” Andrea smiled. “They’re alright,” she joked, causing Waverly to laugh.

“Hey, can I ask you something? It’s about my dad,” Waverly began.

“Sure, honey,” Andrea smiled.

“So I’ve been having weird dreams lately,” Waverly started. “I mean, you probably noticed when I woke up screaming in your living room,” she cringed slightly.

“No need to be embarrassed,” Andrea assured her. “What kind of weird dreams?” she asked.

“Dreams about the day my dad died. I guess I just don’t know what really happened that day. No one likes to tell me anything and I know that Mr. Haught was there when it happened,” Waverly said.

“He was,” Andrea said, matter of factly.

“I’m just confused about what actually happened,” Waverly said.

“Have you asked Gus about it?” Andrea asked.

“Not really. I’ve told her about my dreams but we haven’t really talked about it in detail. I guess I’m a little afraid to know the truth,” she admitted. “But something in me tells me they’re more memories than dreams.”

“I think you should talk to Gus about it,” Andrea suggested.

“You’re probably right,” Waverly sighed. “Thanks, Mrs. Haught,” she smiled.

“You know, I think we’ve known each other long enough that you can call me Andrea,” she said with a laugh.

Waverly laughed and agreed. They arrived at her house and Waverly made her way upstairs to her room. She closed the door behind her and changed out of her clothes before climbing into her bed for the night.

 

 

The next day, Nicole was advised to not snowboard, giving her back more time to heal. After stubbornly attempting to go out anyway, she finally agreed to hang back in the suite to relax. Waverly was able to get the day off, giving her more time to spend with Nicole.

Everyone had left already, leaving Nicole alone in the suite. She was laying up on the top bunk when Waverly arrived. Waverly climbed up into the bunk, climbing carefully over the redhead, settling in in the spot against the wall.

“You sure you’re cool with hanging out in here with me today?” Nicole asked. “It’s so beautiful outside.”

“You need to rest your back,” Waverly told her.

“Yeah, but you don’t have to waste the day away by my side,” Nicole smiled at her.

“I mean, if you don’t want me here, I can leave…” Waverly joked and started to climb over Nicole to get down.

Nicole put her arm up to block Waverly from leaving. Waverly swung her leg back to the other side of Nicole and laid back down next to the redhead, draping her arm over Nicole’s torso. Waverly smiled back at Nicole, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Nicole smiled and intertwined her fingers with the brunette’s. “I do want you here,” she said, softly.

“Good,” Waverly said. “Do you think your family will be back anytime soon?”

“I’m not sure,” Nicole said. “The twins will probably be on the mountain most of the day. Who knows what my mom is up to,” she laughed.

“What do you think she’d say if she saw me in bed with you right now?” Waverly asked.

“I’m sure she would start planning the wedding,” Nicole laughed. “She already makes googly eyes at me every time you come around.”

“So do you,” Waverly joked.

“Oh yeah? We’re gonna play that game?” Nicole laughed.

“We could play other games,” Waverly teased, walking her fingers playfully down Nicole’s torso.

“Mm, don’t tease me,” Nicole groaned slightly.

“Who said I’m teasing?” Waverly asked. “I always follow through,” she whispered in the redhead’s ear.

Nicole shivered at the feeling of Waverly’s breath on her ear. There was a sudden knock on the door and they could hear the door handle turning. “Shit,” Nicole whispered as Waverly ducked down under the blanket next to her, know they weren’t ready to have the ‘why are they in bed together conversation’ yet. Nicole lifted her knees up to be sure no one could see Waverly under the blanket next to her.

“Hey, Nicky,” her mom said as she opened the door. She stopped in the doorway of the room.

“Oh, hey, mom,” Nicole smiled.

“How are you feeling?” Andrea asked.

“Good, I’m just resting, back still hurts a little. Pain meds are definitely helping,” Nicole told her. “I was just, you know, watching some tv,” she gestured toward the tv that wasn’t on.

“Without it being on?” Andrea asked, confused.

“On my phone I mean!” She laughed, quickly.

“You sure you’re okay?” Andrea asked, concerned.

“Yeah, mom, totally fine!” Nicole repeated.

“Sorry you can’t come out with us today, baby,” Andrea told her.

“It’s cool, mom,” Nicole said. “I’ll be back in no time!”

“So you and Waverly seemed pretty cozy on the couch last night,” Andrea winked.

“Yeah, we’re not talking about that,” Nicole laughed, attempting to avoid having that conversation with her mother.

“She’s really pretty,” her mom told her.

“Mom!” Nicole groaned. “Do we have to have this conversation right now?”

Nicole felt Waverly’s hand move to her inner thigh, gently squeezing it. She took a sharp breath in and her mother looked back at her, concerned.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?” She walked toward Nicole.

“No!” Nicole said quickly.

“Okay? You sure? You’re being weird,” her mother told her.

“I’m fine, mom. I swear,” Nicole assured her, putting her hands in the air. “I’m just tired, I didn’t sleep well,” she quickly came up with an excuse.

“Okay, okay, fine!” Andrea sighed. “I’ll leave you alone to sulk!”

“I’m not sulking, just resting,” Nicole told her.

“Okay, well we will be back later. I’ll check on you before dinner,” she smiled. “I love you.”

“Love you too, mom,” she smiled.  

When she heard the click of the door, Waverly slowly made her way out of the blanket. Nicole looked at her with a warning look.

“What?” Waverly grinned.

“Oh, you know, you’re just sliding your hand between my legs while I’m trying to have a conversation with my mom,” she said.

“But she thinks I’m pretty,” Waverly laughed. “Besides, I was just trying to get comfortable,” Waverly laughed.

“Oh yeah?” Nicole asked with a grin. “Is that all?”

“Maybe being that close to you was just tempting,” Waverly teased.

“You’re killing me,” Nicole groaned, throwing her head back on the pillow.

“Sorry,” Waverly said, softly. “How does your back feel?”

“It feels okay right now,” Nicole said, continuing to stare at the ceiling. She was attempting to ignore the feeling of Waverly’s hand that was still on her inner thigh.

“And how does this feel?” Waverly asked, slowly sliding her hand further up Nicole’s thigh.

Nicole took a deep breath in and looked down at the brunette. “That feels good,” she breathed.

“And this?” Waverly grinned at the redhead as she pressed her hand gently between her legs, over her sweatpants.

“Mm,” was all Nicole could say, hips lifting slightly into Waverly’s hand. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly.

Waverly moved her hand slowly up Nicole’s torso, on her bare skin. Nicole opened her eyes and flashed Waverly a dimpled smile before the brunette leaned down to connect their lips. The kiss was slow at first. Nicole placed her hand on Waverly’s cheek as the kiss grew deeper.

Waverly’s hand moved back down Nicole’s body, unsure of how much alone time they would have before someone came back to the suite. She easily slipped her hand beneath the waistband of the redhead’s sweatpants. Their tongues brushed against each other and Nicole let out a small moan into Waverly’s mouth.

Nicole instinctively moved her leg, allowing Waverly to gain more access. She moved her hand down to the outside of her pants, pressing Waverly’s hand further against her. Waverly smiled into Nicole’s kiss. Breaking the kiss, Nicole leaned her head back on the pillow, hips beginning to move in a rhythm with Waverly’s hand.

Waverly’s lips found Nicole’s neck and began laying soft kisses, her tongue lightly brushing against her exposed skin. Nicole’s breathing began to speed up as Waverly continued to rub fast circles, before sliding two fingers inside her, moving them in and out.

“Waves,” Nicole moaned, causing Waverly to speed up her motions. “I’m so close, baby,” Nicole breathed. She realized the pet name left her lips without control, hoping Waverly wouldn’t be freaked out by it. She figured she could blame it on the lack of blood circulating to her brain at the moment.

Waverly leaned down, pressing her lips against Nicole’s, tongue darting into the redhead’s mouth. Another moan and Waverly felt Nicole contracting around her fingers. Their kiss deepened and Waverly continued to pump her fingers in and out while the redhead rode out her orgasm.

Nicole’s head hit the pillow as her lips disconnected from Waverly’s. She closed her eyes briefly, steadying her breath. She opened her eyes to see the brunette smiling above her. Waverly laid her head on the pillow next to Nicole, facing the redhead. Nicole turned her head and Waverly softly kissed her cheek.

The room fell silent except for the sound of soft breathing coming from Waverly and Nicole.

“What are you thinking about?” Waverly asked, breaking the silence.

“I’m starving,” Nicole laughed causing Waverly to laugh as well.

“Let’s go get food,” Waverly suggested, sitting up on the bed.

Nicole nodded and followed suit, climbing slowly off the bed. She briefly stopped in the bathroom to check the bruises on her back. Taking a look at herself in the mirror, she realized her hair was a bit disheveled. She quickly ran her fingers through it, attempting to tame it a little. When she thought that it looked good enough, she removed her shirt and turned to look at her back in the mirror. The bruising had reduced partially overnight. What once was bright blue and purple was now a more dingier brown and yellow color.

“Hey, you okay?” Waverly called through the door, knocking lightly on it.

The door swung open and Nicole was standing in her sweatpants and a sports bra. Waverly’s eyes widened slightly.

“Sorry, I was checking my back,” Nicole explained.

“Can I see?” Waverly asked, gesturing for Nicole to turn around.

Nicole nodded and turned, showing Waverly her back. “It looks so much better, Nicole!” Waverly smiled. She placed her hands on Nicole’s hips and laid soft kisses on her back. Nicole breathed in, goosebumps bumps forming on her skin.

“Waves, Nicole breathed. “That feels really good, but I really need food,” she groaned, turning around to face the brunette. She placed her hands on either side of Waverly’s face and kissed her quickly, almost in a playful manner. Waverly laughed and moved away from Nicole, allowing her to put her shirt back on.

“Fine, grumpy,” Waverly winked. “Let’s go!” They left the suite in search of food. The walk to the mess hall was fairly quiet, with little conversation here and there. Nicole appeared to have a lot on her mind but Waverly didn’t ask about it just yet.

Nicole realized she had been in a daze for a few minutes and she rubbed her face with her hand. She reached down with her right hand, finding Waverly’s left one. She took the brunette’s hand in her own, intertwining their fingers and bringing her hand close to her face to kiss it. Waverly smiled at the gesture.

 

 

After getting food, they found a table in the corner of the room with no one else around. They fell into easy conversation with each other. Nicole smiled, thinking to herself about how comfortable she was being around Waverly again. She always had difficulty opening up to people and letting them in, but with Waverly, she felt like it was something she would actually be able to do.

“I think I’m going to ask my mom to have dinner with me tonight,” Nicole said, setting her fork down on the edge of her plate and looking up, making eye contact with Waverly.

“Doesn’t she usually?” She asked, confused.

“I mean with just me,” Nicole laughed.

“Okay?” Waverly still didn’t understand where she was going with this.

“I’m going to tell her about college,” Nicole explained. “I can’t keep putting it off.”

“How’s she gonna take that?” The brunette asked.

“I’m not sure,” Nicole admitted. “I mean, she still thinks I’m going back. Now I get to tell her not only am I not, I also have nothing to show for the time I spent there,” she sighed, propping her elbows up on the table and dropping her face into her hands, slowly rubbing her temples in frustration.

“Well…” Waverly stood up from her seat and came around the table, plopping down on the bench next to Nicole. “Your mom’s pretty cool, Nicole,” She assured her, placing a hand on her lower back. “Maybe she won’t be too mad.”

“It’s not the anger I’m really worried about. It’s the disappointment,” Nicole explained, lifting her head slightly to look at Waverly.

“Hey,” Waverly said, softly rubbing her back. “I don’t think you could ever truly disappoint your mother.”

“And what about you?” Nicole asked.

“What about me?” Waverly asked, slightly confused.

“Could I disappoint you?” The words slipped from Nicole’s mouth before she had time to think about it. She looked into Waverly’s eyes, attempting to gauge whether or not that question made the brunette uncomfortable. She didn’t want to come on to strong so she wasn’t sure what she should say, but every moment she spent with Waverly made her forget what it felt like to not be with her.

A small smile formed on the corner of Waverly’s lips. “I don’t think that’s possible,” she said softly, easing Nicole’s nerves. With elbows still propped on the table, Nicole leaned her cheek onto her hands, head tilted, facing the brunette. She smiled lovingly back at her.

Nicole and Waverly spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the Haught’s suite, watching tv and just enjoying each other’s company. Nicole had asked her mother if she could have dinner with just her, letting her know that she had things she wanted to discuss with her. She wasn't sure if she should let her know that she had an agenda prior to the dinner, but she needed to be sure her mom would be okay leaving the twins out of the plans. She knew this was a conversation she needed to have with her mother without any other interruptions. Waverly offered to take Nicole’s siblings out to dinner and to a local arcade for the night. Nicole thought it was sweet that she offered to spend time with them, allowing her to get this off her chest.

 

 

Waiting for her mom to return to the suite, Nicole began to pace back and forth, growing more nervous thinking about how she was going to react to what she needed to tell her. She knew she needed to have the conversation with her about college and her new career goals sooner than later, but it didn’t stop her from being in fear of the reaction that her mother might have. Regardless of her reaction, she knew it was better not to wait until they got home to break it to her.

At the thought of returning home, Nicole’s mind switched to thinking about Waverly. She had mentioned feelings of apprehension about the redhead going back to the city after their vacation is over, but the pair hadn’t spent much time actually discussing it. Nicole feels that it could be due to neither of them wanting to have that conversation in the first place.

For Nicole, she can’t even remember a time she had a conversation about how she truly felt about someone. Sure, with Shae she turned her down and separated herself from that, but she told her that she wasn’t ready to be in a relationship at the time. A simple excuse used to defer someone from truly expressing how they feel, in fear that they will leave the other person hurt. She had spent the last 8 years taking care of other people and putting their needs first and she’s finally learning that she needs to put her needs first sometimes.

Nicole and her mother were seated in a booth near the back of the restaurant. Nicole slide into one of the benches and immediately took a drink of the water that was in front of her.

“How are you feeling now, Nicky,” Andrea smiled, she could tell her daughter was nervous about whatever it was she wanted to talk about.

“A whole lot better,” Nicole told her. “The bruising went down a ton and I haven’t really had sharp pains anymore.”

“Good,” Andrea smiled. “Are you happy you rested?” she asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole smiled. “So I opened Dad’s gift,” she said, changing the subject. She reached into her pocket and pulled the key out, holding it in her hand for a moment.

“Yeah?” Andrea asked.

“It was a key,” Nicole said, still slightly confused.

“A key?” Andrea asked. “Do you know what it goes to?”

“No,” Nicole said, opening her hand and holding the key out in front of her. “Have you seen this before?"

“Maybe,” Andrea said. “But it doesn’t look familiar,” she told her.

“I just don’t understand why he would insist that you gave it to me for Christmas. Or when we were here,” Nicole told her. She looked back at her mother. Something in her told her that there was more to the story that she didn’t know yet. “Did he know we were coming here for Christmas?”

Andrea nodded back at her daughter.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Nicole asked.

“Didn’t you have something to tell me?” Andrea asked, attempting to change the subject.

“We can talk about that next,” Nicole told her.

“Your dad wanted to come here before he died, but never made it,” Andrea sighed. “I promised him I’d get back out here and take care of what he needed to do.”

“And that was?” Nicole asked.

“Your dad purchased his property with Ward when they were younger,” Andrea told her. “They bought the land and built the resort from the ground up. It was a dream of theirs.”

“Why did he never tell us that he owned it?” Nicole asked.

“Shortly after we got married, my mom got sick, we moved to the city to help out. We settled in there and you were born,” Andrea said.

“I knew that, but I don’t get why the other part was left out,” Nicole said, still confused.

“Nicole, listen, there’s a lot about your father’s past that he didn’t like to talk about,” Andrea explained. “He wanted to keep the resort, but it was too much so he gave it over to Ward to fully run. But things got a little more complicated when Ward died. There’s just a lot that he didn’t want you kids to be worried about, so he never told you.”

“Well, I think I’m old enough to handle it, mom,” Nicole said.    

“Fine,” Andrea sighed. “Ward and your dad had another friend named Robert growing up. They were inseparable. The three musketeers,” she reminisced.

“Robert Svane, I remember him being mentioned a few times,” Nicole said.

“When they were teenagers, Robert ended up getting involved in gang activity. Your father and Ward tried to help him several times but he continued to make the same choices. So they had to move on, basically leaving Robert behind and out of the dream that they had to build the resort.”

“So what does that have to do with anything now?” Nicole asked.

“Robert took that as abandonment and never forgave them for what he considered giving up on them. He was supposed to be apart of everything with them. When we moved away, Robert and his gang went after Ward several times, attempting to ‘take back what was taken from him’ as he put it,” Andrea continued. “Shortly after the twins were born, Ward called your dad and he made a solo trip out here. He didn’t really tell me much about it, he didn’t like to talk about it.”

“Is that when Ward died?” Nicole asked. “So he was here?”

“He was,” Andrea nodded. “I don’t know all of the details from what happened, but Robert has been in jail for his murder for almost 15 years.”

“I guess I just don’t get why he wanted to get his hands on the resort so bad,” Nicole admitted.

“Power?” Andrea assumed. “He wanted to get back at them and felt that he was owed that. Also the money,” she said. “After that, we made family trips to spend time with Gus and the girls. Your dad felt that he needed to look after them as well. But then he got sick.”

“So do you think the key has something to do with all of this?” Nicole asked.

“It might,” Andrea admitted. “Your dad always had something up his sleeve, Nicky. He always wanted to take care of everyone too. You’re just like him,” she smiled.

“Did he not know how to stop and take care of himself and his own needs either?” she laughed softly at the joke she made about herself.

“You’ll get there,” Andrea winked.

“So I’m not going back to school next month,” she said quickly, finally spitting it out.

“What do you mean?” Andrea asked.

“I didn’t do well,” Nicole admitted. “I mean, I failed mostly everything.”

“Nicole-” Andrea began.

“Wait,” Nicole stopped her. “I just don’t think I was ready,” she told her mom.

“So you think you’ll be ready later on?” Andrea asked.

“I’m not sure that I’ll ever be,” Nicole admitted. “I’m not sure if college is the right path for me. And I know you were really excited I was going and I’m really sorry.”

“Hey,” Andrea said, placing her hand on top of her daughter’s. “I was excited that you were putting yourself out there and doing things for you, Nicky.”

“So you’re not disappointed?” Nicole asked, finally making eye contact with her mom.

“No,” Andrea smiled at her daughter. “I’m never going to be disappointed if you decide to try something and find out it's not what you want to do. I just want you all to be happy,” she told her.

“So how would you feel if I told you that I wanted to go to the police academy instead,” Nicole said, hoping her mother would continue to go easy on her.

“The police academy?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah, it’s something I’ve really been thinking about, mom. I think it’s something I’d really be good at.”

Andrea sat quietly for a moment, looking back at her daughter. Nicole became slightly nervous at the lack of response from her mother. A smile grew on Andrea’s face. “I think so too,” she said finally.

Nicole let out a breath that she felt she was holding for the past five minutes or so.

“Is that what you were nervous about telling me?” Andrea asked.

Nicole nodded. “I’m sorry, I probably should have told you sooner. I didn’t want to ruin vacation with it, but I also didn’t want to wait until we got home.”

“You’re not ruining the vacation,” Andrea assured her. “Besides, it’s kind of nice having dinner with just you tonight,” she winked.

“I hope the twins are behaving for Waverly,” Nicole laughed. “I’ve been trying to teach Daniel more about respecting woman,” she said.

“He really looks up to you, Nicky,” Andrea smiled.

“I know,” Nicole admitted.

“It was really nice of Waverly to hang out with them tonight though. I feel safer knowing they’re with her,” Andrea laughed.

“She’s pretty great,” Nicole smiled at the thought of the brunette.

“I know you don’t like talking about it,” Andrea began. “But I notice the way you light up around her, Nicole. It’s really nice to see.”

“There’s just something about her,” Nicole admitted. “I’m so comfortable around her. But it’s weird.”

“Why is it weird?” Andrea asked.

“I mean, we barely know each other,” Nicole told her.

“Well, you were really close growing up,” her mom said.

“Yeah, but we're totally different people now. We’re not kids anymore,” Nicole told her.

“People grow up, but I’m not sure that they change that much,” Andrea told her. “It’s clear there’s still a connection.”

“I guess,” Nicole said. “I just don’t know how to explain how I feel. I don’t do this.”

“Do what?” Andrea asked.

“Feel,” Nicole laughed.

“Well, I know that’s not true,” Andrea laughed, shaking her head at her oldest daughter.

“Okay, I have feelings, but not this hard or this fast!” Nicole laughed.

“Did I ever tell you about the day I met your father?” Andrea asked.  

“You were serving ice cream at a local ice cream parlor and he and his friends came in, making a scene,” Nicole said.  

“Not really a scene,” she laughed. “But boy, were they obnoxious,” she shook her head, smiling at the memory. “It was the end of a long night and in walks this group of guys who thought they were all that. In the middle of the group was this tall, lanky kid with bright red hair and a crooked smile.”

Nicole smiled at the thought of her father as a young man. She liked to look back through old photographs of him. People always told her she looked like him.

“I didn’t want to take the table because I had a long night, but I did anyway. Your father didn’t speak much at first. Honestly, he could never really get many words in with Ward around,” she laughed. “The guys left the table a mess and didn’t leave a tip. I was so mad when I returned to the table. But I looked up and there was that tall, redhead cleaning up the table and taking cash out of his pocket to leave a tip for me. He flashed me a smile, dimples and all and left. I looked down at the table and saw that with my tip, he also left his number on a napkin.”

“Dad was smooth,” Nicole laughed.

“He was,” she smiled. “I ran outside to see if he had left and he was standing by the corner of the building, waiting. He told me he hoped I wouldn’t leave him waiting long,” she smiled. “We spent the rest of the night talking in the bed of his truck, under the stars.”

“That’s actually real sweet,” Nicole smiled.

“You know what he said to me that night?” Andrea asked.

“What?” Nicole asked, truly interested in the story that her mother was telling.

“He told me he was going to fall in love with me. And he was going to ask me to marry him someday,” Andrea smiled.

“Dad said that? My dad? Joe Haught?” Nicole asked, not quite believing what she was being told.

“He did,” Andrea nodded and laughed.

“And what did you say?” Nicole asked.

“I didn’t call him for a week,” she laughed.

“What?! Mom! You did not!” Nicole said in disbelief.

“It was summer vacation! I went to the beach with my parents,” she laughed. “There was once life without cell phones, Nicky.”

“So then what happened when you got back?” Nicole asked.

“I called him. He said ‘I thought I told you not to leave me waiting too long.’ I told him I’d make it up to him and we were pretty much inseparable for the rest of the summer,” she smiled.

“That’s really sweet, mom,” Nicole smiled.

“All I’m trying to say is love doesn’t have limits, Nicky,” Andrea said. “There’s no timeline on human connection or right way to do it. It’s okay to allow yourself to feel it,” she told her.

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole smiled.

 

 

When they returned back to the resort that night, Nicole and her mother were walking back toward their cabin. They decided to head back to their suite and watch movies as a family for the rest of the night. As they walked, something caught the corner of Nicole’s eye and she looked up to see Waverly looking back at them, a short distance away. The brunette gave them a quick wave and started walking toward them.

“Hey, mom, is it cool if I..?” Nicole asked, gesturing toward Waverly.

Andrea nodded.

“I won’t be gone long,” Nicole assured her. “Don’t start any good movies without me,” she told her.

“Deal,” Andrea smiled as she left Nicole to be alone with Waverly.

“Hey, how did it go?” Waverly asked as the redhead approached her. Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist and placed a firm kiss on her lips. “What was that for?” Waverly asked.

“I missed you,” Nicole smiled. “Also, it went really well, actually!”

“Really?! That’s great, Nicole!” Waverly said, cheerfully. “See, you had nothing to worry about,” she nudged her.

“I guess I should listen to you more often,” Nicole winked.

“Maybe you should,” Waverly smiled, pulling Nicole closer to her. “What are you up to tonight?” She asked.

“I promised my mom we’d do a family movie night,” Nicole told her. “But hey, I was wondering if I could take you on a date tomorrow night?” she asked.

“A date?” Waverly asked.

“Um, yeah,” Nicole said, suddenly worried that she said the wrong thing.

“That sounds really nice,” Waverly smiled, causing Nicole to let out a quick breath.

Nicole grinned at the brunette. “It’s a date then,” she said as she kissed Waverly again.

“Okay, go get to your movie night before I keep you all night,” Waverly teased, kissing Nicole once more before pulling apart.

“Goodnight, Waves,” Nicole smiled, kissing Waverly on the cheek.

“Goodnight,” Waverly smiled as she turned to go back home.

Nicole returned to her family’s suite and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy tee shirt, joining her family on the couch to watch movies. She reached over and grabbed gummy worms from the bag in her brother’s hands and he attempted to swat her away. She laughed as she ate the candy, and settled in to watch movies.


	9. Chapter 9

Waverly woke the next morning with thoughts of Nicole. She thought it was cute that she wanted to take her on a date, but she quickly grew nervous not knowing any of the details. She rolled over and pulled a pillow close to her chest, picking her phone up and checking for messages. 

A smile grew across her face when she saw Nicole’s name on her phone. She opened the text to reveal a simple, but sweet goodnight text from the redhead. Waverly wondered how something so small could make her heart beat so fast. 

Her door flung open, causing Waverly to jump and her sister was standing on the other side. “Haven’t you heard of knocking?” Waverly huffed.

“Why? You got something to hide?” Wynonna asked, pretending to look around the room. 

“No, but this is my bedroom,” Waverly told her, sternly. 

“Well, I like to make an entrance,” Wynonna smiled, walking further into the room. 

Waverly shook her head at her sister. “Did you need something?” She asked. 

“Did you hear who’s checking in tonight?” Wynonna asked, plopping down on the bed next to her sister. 

“No.” 

“The Party Hardy’s,” Wynonna said. 

“Ugh,” Waverly groaned. 

“Hey! That just means the New Year’s Eve party is going to be awesome this year!” Wynonna cheered. 

“Yeah, but it also means Champ Hardy will be here,” Waverly groaned. 

“Well, rumor has it,” Wynonna started. “He has a girlfriend, so maybe his days of trying to woo you are over.” 

“I wouldn’t really consider trying to get me alone in the back of his truck ‘wooing’ me,” Waverly rolled her eyes. 

“But didn’t it work?” Wynonna asked. 

“That was once,” Waverly huffed. “And I really don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Fine, fine!” Wynonna said, putting her hands in the air. “Don’t you have a girlfriend now too?” She winked at her sister.

“I’m not sure what I have,” Waverly laughed. 

“Well, what do you want it to be?” Wynonna asked.

“I don’t know, I’m scared,” Waverly stated.  

“What are you scared about?” 

“To love her and never see her again,” Waverly admitted, softly. 

“What makes you think that’s going to happen?” Wynonna asked. 

“She lives in the city, Wynonna,” she reminded her sister. “She’s leaving.” 

“She’s not going to a different planet, Waves,” Wynonna said. 

“Well, I know, but the thought of being without her already has been… weird,” Waverly sighed.

“Weird?” Wynonna asked. 

“Difficult.” 

Wynonna nodded, wrapping an arm around her sister. Waverly leaned into her sister, resting her head on her shoulder. 

“Am I crazy, Wynonna?” Waverly asked. 

“No, babygirl, you’re not crazy,” Wynonna told her. “I think a part of you has always loved her.” 

“You might be right,” Waverly smiled. 

“Wow, you actually told me I was right,” Wynonna laughed. 

“Don’t get used to it,” Waverly laughed, continuing to lean into her sister with her head on her shoulder.    
  
  


 

Nicole woke up the next morning feeling better than ever. She momentarily was able to forget about her back injury due to finally not feeling any pain in it. She climbed down from her bed and glanced quickly at her phone to see if Waverly had responded to her text. When she saw that she hadn’t, she tried not to think too much into it. After having dinner with her mom, she felt a huge weight had been lifted. She didn’t realize how much she had been holding inside, trying to figure it all out on her own. She realized that sometimes it’s okay to ask for help and let people other people in. 

She had an idea for her date with Waverly that night, but needed to recruit a little help to execute it. She dialed Wynonna’s number but was a little apprehensive, unsure that she would take her seriously.    
  


 

 

Waverly stood up from her bed to find herself clothes for the day before going to take a shower. Wynonna was stretched out on her bed still. “Are you going to stay there all day?” Waverly laughed at her sister. 

“Probably,” Wynonna told her. 

“Can’t you move to your own bed?” Waverly asked. 

“But yours is comfy!” Wynonna whined. Her phone started to ring and she looked down at it. “Speaking of your girlfriend,” Wynonna winked. 

“What?” Waverly asked, turning back toward her sister. 

“Here,” Wynonna said, handing her the phone. “You answer it.” 

Waverly hesitatingly took the phone. “Hello?” She answered. 

“Waves?” Nicole asked, confused. “Did I call the wrong number?” 

“No, my sister just threw her phone at me,” Waverly laughed. “What’s up?” 

“Oh, I, uh,” Nicole stuttered. “I needed her help with something.” 

“Is it something I can help with?” Waverly asked. 

“It’s for our date,” Nicole said, trying not to give away the surprise. 

“Ooh! Okay,” Waverly laughed. “Here, I’ll give her the phone.” 

“Thanks,” Nicole said softly. “Hey, Waves?” She said quickly before Waverly was too far away from the phone to hear her. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asked. 

“Good morning,” Nicole said softly, causing Waverly to grin. 

“Okay, okay!” Wynonna called out. “That’s my phone! If you guys are going to whisper dirty things to each other, do it on your own phone!” 

“Shut up,” Waverly huffed at her sister. “She wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, is that why she called my phone?” Wynonna asked, sarcastically.

Waverly shook her head at Wynonna as she handed the phone over to her. “You’re the worst,” she said as she took her pile of clean clothes and made her way into the bathroom to shower.

  
  


It was late morning and Gus had recruited Waverly to help her do some cleaning in the cabin where they would be holding their annual New Year’s Eve party. The party was held every year but Gus became extra stressed when important people, such as the Hardy’s, were going to be present. Gus wasn’t really one to impress others, but when it came to the reputation of the resort, she wanted it to be in the best possible shape. 

Gus was cleaning the windows in the front room and Waverly came up behind her with more windex. 

“Thanks, darling,” Gus smiled, taking the bottle from the brunette’s hand. 

“Hey, Gus,” Waverly said, a little nervously. 

“Yes?” Gus asked, glancing a little to the side to see her niece staring back at her. Feeling that Waverly had something on her mind, she wiped the glass once more with paper towel and turned to put her focus on the brunette. 

“I have a question about my dad,” Waverly said, softly. 

The older woman nodded and sat down on a nearby bench, gesturing for Waverly to join her. “Shoot,” she said. 

“Okay, so you know how I’ve been having these crazy dreams?” Waverly started. Her aunt nodded at her. “It’s not just a dream, right?” 

“No,” Gus shook her head.

“So I really saw those things?” Waverly asked. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” 

“It’s a little complicated, sweetheart,” Gus explained. “But I knew it was a conversation we’d have one day. I didn’t want to do it before you were ready.” 

“Gus, I’m 21,” Waverly stated. 

“Well, I know that,” she laughed a little. “But who wants to paint that picture of how their father died to someone?” 

“Does Wynonna know?” Waverly asked. 

Gus nodded. 

“So I’m the only one who doesn’t know?” Waverly began to grow frustrated. She suddenly felt like she has been lied to by the two people who were supposed to be honest to her. The two people she trusted the most. She stood up from the bench and began to pace. 

“Waverly,” Gus said softly, trying to keep her calm. 

“This isn’t just about how my father died, Gus! He was murdered!” Waverly said sternly. “I watched my father get killed and you guys just thought it was okay to make me think I was just having bad dreams?!” 

“Waverly, I can explain,” Gus told her. 

“Someone’s going to have to!” Waverly spat. 

“Honey,” Gus said, remaining calm. “Please, sit.” 

Waverly continued to pace momentarily, then plopped back down on the bench next to her aunt. Gus explained to her about Robert Svane and the past that her father had with him. She explained that her father had good intentions, separating himself from Robert and his life choices and how he continued to try to help him. 

Waverly vaguely remembered the day that she and Wynonna went to live with Gus and their uncle Curtis. She had been told there was an accident and her father passed away. The topic wasn’t brought up often in their home. Waverly would ask questions about her dad throughout the years, but talk of his death was never something that Waverly was interested in discussing. She now wonders if she were ever to bring it up, would they have lied to her about it? 

Waverly sat quietly, staring at the floor as she listened to Gus speak. The words begin to fade out, almost as if they are blurring together. 

“Honey?” Gus asked, attempting to gain Waverly’s attention. 

“I’m sorry. This is just a lot right now,” Waverly told her. “I guess I didn’t really expect that answer.” 

“I’m sorry, Waverly,” Gus told her. 

Waverly nodded at her aunt and continued to sit in silence for a moment. “Do you know where Wynonna is?” She asked.

“She’s helping Nicole with something,” Gus informed her. 

Nicole. Waverly forgot for a minute about her plans with Nicole that night. She didn’t expect to be hit with such heavy information the day Nicole was taking her out on a date. She had been excited about the gesture, trying not to think too hard about what they could possibly be doing. Waverly was a planner and usually the thought of a total surprise scared her, but not this time. 

Should she bring up what she just learned about her father? Would it ruin her date with Nicole? Maybe the redhead wouldn’t want to talk about it. Waverly’s thoughts raced through her head as she stood up from the bench again. 

“Are you okay?” The inevitable question was asked. Of course she wasn’t okay. She just found out the truth shout her father’s death after almost almost 15 years. 

“I’m good,” Waverly smiled softly at her aunt. 

Waverly excused herself and made her way outside to go find her sister. She hoped that she was done helping Nicole because she really wanted to talk to her before her date later. She picked up her phone, clicked on Wynonna’s number and placed the phone to her ear. 

“Wynonna, it’s me, please let me know where you are. We need to talk,” she said, desperately into the phone. She hung up the phone and shoved it back into her pocket, glancing down toward her feet as she continued to walk. 

Bang. 

Her body slammed into something, hard, knocking her from the daze she had been in. Waverly was mortified she she realized she had walked into another person. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” She said as she looked up to see a familiar face looking back at her. 

“Well if it isn’t Waverly Earp,” the man smiled down at her, excited to see her. 

Waverly took a step back, making more space between herself and the man. “Champ,” she said plainly. 

“Waves! It’s been so long!” He smiled, opening his arms for a hug. 

Waverly politely smiled back at the man and nodded. “Sorry, Champ, I’m sort of in a hurry,” she said, slightly distracted. 

“Hey, wait,” Champ said, putting his arms back down. “You remember Rosita, right?” He asked, gesturing behind him. Waverly glanced up to see the dark haired woman smiling as she approached the pair. Her eyes widened as Champ put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. “My girlfriend,” he smiled. 

Waverly started back at the pair, speechless at first. “Oh, right,” Waverly finally spoke. “Rosita, of course,” she smiled. “It’s been a while.”

“It’s so good to be back,” Rosita smiled at Waverly, then looked up at her boyfriend. 

“Nice to have you,” Waverly forced a smile. “I’m sorry, I’m really in a hurry,” she gestured over her shoulder letting them know she had to leave. 

“I’m sure we’ll see you around,” Rosita smiled. 

“Look forward to it,” Waverly said, in the most genuine tone that she could muster, as she turned to continue her mission to find her sister. 

  
  
  


“Thanks for helping me, Wynonna,” Nicole said as she entered the house with the brunette. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Wynonna said. “But if anyone asks, I had nothing to do with it!” 

“Why?” Nicole laughed. 

“Cheesy isn’t really my thing,” she said opening the refrigerator door, looking for something to eat. 

“Do you think it’s too cheesy?” Nicole asked, concerned. 

“Look, Red. I know my sister and trust me, she’s going to eat that shit up,” Wynonna winked. 

Nicole sighed and smiled at the brunette, resting her elbows on the kitchen counter. They heard the door to the house swing open. “Wynonna!” Waverly yelled. They could hear frustration in the tone of her voice. 

“Yikes,” Wynonna cringed, looking back at Nicole. “Maybe she got wind of your surprise,” she said, jokingly. 

Nicole glared back at Wynonna. Waverly made her way into the kitchen, finding the pair talking. “Wynonna,” Waverly repeated. “We need to talk.” 

“Should I go?” Nicole asked, lifting herself off the counter, unsure of what to say. 

Waverly sighed and walked over to the redhead, gently rubbing her back for a moment. “I’m sorry,” she said, softly. She let out a long breath and turned to her sister. “We need to talk, please,” she told her. 

“Hey,” Nicole said softly, turning to Waverly. “I’ll let you guys talk. I have to go shower and eat something. I’ll see you later,” she smiled, kissing Waverly lightly on the cheek. 

Wynonna started to make gagging noises at Waverly and Nicole. Waverly turned to glare at her sister. “Man, babygirl, you’re feisty today,” Wynonna said. 

Nicole placed her hand briefly on Waverly’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before smiling at her and heading out the door. On her walk back to her family’s suite, she spotted people pulling bags out of a car and carrying them into a cabin nearby where she was staying. She found herself staring harder at the people when she realized that she recognized the younger man as Champ Hardy. Champ had been someone who spent vacations at the resort often with his family while Nicole was visiting. She never really liked Champ, but tolerated him for the most part when they all spent time together as a group. She knew he had a thing for Waverly for years but wasn’t sure if anything ever came of that. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark haired woman walking up to Champ. She turned slightly to see that she recognized her as well.

“Nicole Haught?” the woman’s voice echoed across the road.

Nicole cringed slightly and stopped in her tracks, turning her head with a smile already plastered to her face.

“Rosita!” Nicole pretended to be happy to see her. The tone of her voice came out as a little bit of fake excitement. 

Rosita bounced across the street, pulling Nicole into a hug. The redhead stood awkwardly with her hands by her sides for a moment, then decided she should probably reciprocate the hug.

“How the hell have you been?” Rosita asked, still surprised to see her. 

Nicole was still slightly in shock, unsure of how to react to the excitement that the brunette was showing her. “I’ve been okay,” she responded.

“I haven’t see you in years!” Rosita continued. “Are you here with your parents?” she asked.

“Just mom,” Nicole stated. “And the twins.”

“The twins?! Oh my god, they must be so old by now!” she laughed.

“They’re 14,” Nicole informed her, smiling politely back at her. 

“Wow!” Rosita said surprised. She looked as if she expected them to still be toddlers after all these years. Nicole continued to smile, feeling her face starting to hurt from the force she needed to put into keep the smile on her face. “Your dad didn’t come?” There was the question Nicole knew was coming, but wasn’t sure how she would react to it. 

“Um, no,” Nicole’s smile slowly dropped from her face. She was a little relieved that she didn’t have to keep up the facade. “Dad died in April.”

“Oh, Nicole!” Rosita began with the sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks,” she smiled politely. “Hey, look, I really should get going. It was cool seeing you,” Nicole smiled again before turning away from Rosita.

“See you again soon, I’m sure!” Rosita called after her. Nicole nodded without turning back around to face her, continuing to walk toward her cabin. 

  
  
  


“Gus told me about daddy,” Waverly said, glaring back at her sister. 

“Ah,” Wynonna said, finally realizing why her sister was upset. She stopped rummaging through the refrigerator and sat down at the table, gesturing for Waverly to join her. 

“Look, I get that you guys wanted to spare my feelings, but I’ve been having dreams watching him get killed. You don’t think that would be a good time to, I don’t know, say something?!” Waverly yelled. 

“Waves,” Wynonna started. “It’s complicated.” 

“I know,” Waverly huffed. “Gus told me about Robert Svane.” 

“But it’s more complicated than that,” her sister continued. “Look, Waves, there are things I really can’t talk about.” 

“Wynonna, you know I’m not going to take that for an answer,” Waverly told her. 

“I know, but,” Wynonna said. 

“Wynonna, please,” Waverly pleaded. “You need to tell me.” 

Wynonna sighed. She didn’t want to upset her sister. Even though she did enjoy pushing her buttons, upsetting her was one of her least favorite things to do. “This is something that can’t be repeated,” Wynonna told her. 

Waverly’s eyes widened slightly. She grew anxious at the unknown, but now she worried that she would feel better off not actually knowing. She nodded, showing her sister that she can trust her. 

“Robert Svane, also known as Bobo Del Ray, is one of the biggest gang leaders around,” Wynonna explained. 

“But he’s in jail?” Waverly asked. 

“Yes,” Wynonna told her. “But he has people working for him, trying to clear his name. They don’t think he actually pulled the trigger, but the cops had been looking to bring him in for years. This was their perfect opportunity when they caught him.”

“So he’s not in jail for daddy’s death?” Waverly asked. 

“He is,” Wynonna told her. “But they are looking to find a way to clear his name.”

“Why do you know all of this?” Waverly asked, leaning back on the back of the couch. 

“I’ve been working with the police,” Wynonna admitted, hoping her sister wouldn’t freak out about that information. “I haven’t been able to say anything, babygirl, and I shouldn’t even be now.” 

Waverly was frustrated that she was just now learning all of this information. She looked at her sister, we appeared to be genuinely telling the truth about all of this. Waverly was now nervous that Wynonna would end up hurt being involved in all of this. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, giving her sister an understanding look. “Okay,” she said softly. “Thank you.” 

“That’s it?” Wynonna asked. 

“You can trust me, Wynonna,” Waverly assured her. “I just don’t know what else to say about it all.” 

“I don’t want you to get hurt, babygirl,” Wynonna told her. 

Waverly nodded and smiled softly at her sister. “Right back at you,” she said, placing her hand on Wynonna’s arm. 

“You know me,” Wynonna said. “Nothing can hurt me,” she winked. 

“Wynonna,” Waverly said, in a warning tone. 

“Fine,” Wynonna huffed. “I’ll be careful,” she smiled. “Hey, don’t you have a hot date to get ready for?” 

“You going to give me a heads up on what we’re doing?” Waverly asked, attempting to pry information from her sister, even if she very well knew it wasn’t going to work. 

“Yeah right,” Wynonna huffed, pretending to lock her mouth with a fake key. 

Waverly rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch. “Hey, Waves?” Wynonna called out as her sister started to leave the room. 

Waverly spun around to see her sister looking back at her. “Yeah?” 

“You gonna be okay?” Wynonna aksed. Waverly smiled at her sister. She knew that her sister knew her well enough to know she was going to be worried over this for longer than the length of the conversation. She nodded at Wynonna with a half smile. “Thanks for telling me,” she said before she turned back to leave the room.

  
  


Nicole stood in the bathroom mirror, running her fingers through her hair, making sure it looked alright. She sighed in attempts to shake some of the nerves from her system. She exited the bathroom dressed in a pair of tight fitting skinny jeans and a blue sweatshirt. She reached for her shoes and sat down on the couch to put them on. 

“Damn, Nicky, I forgot that you own something other than sweatpants,” her sister’s voice came from the other side of the room. 

“Shut the f-” Nicole started. 

“Nicole Rayleigh Haught!” Andrea yelled from the other room. 

“Do you have supersonic hearing?” Nicole asked as she finished tying her shoes. 

“It’s called mom hearing,” Andrea winked as she entered the room that her kids were in. “It’s a gift,” she said. 

“Or a curse,” Megan huffed under her breath. 

“Nicky, you look great,” Andrea smiled at her oldest daughter. 

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole smiled. “I’m not sure how late I’ll be,” she said, standing up from the couch. She put her jacket on and opened the door to leave. 

“Have fun,” Andrea smiled at her as she left the suite.    
  


 

Nicole stood outside near the bench that she told Waverly to meet her at. She looked around a little and there was no sign of Waverly yet. Nicole glanced at her phone, noticing she was a little early. She took a seat on the bench, deciding to wait there. To pass the time, she scrolled mindlessly through her phone. After a few minutes, Nicole felt someone sit down on the bench next to her. “I thought you were about to stand me up,” she joked as she looked up from her phone. 

“So you were waiting for me?” The person next to her asked. 

Nicole looked confused when she realized it wasn’t Waverly. “Rosita?” She asked. 

“What are you doing out here all alone?” She asked. 

“I’m waiting for someone,” Nicole said plainly. 

“Well, I figured,” Rosita laughed. 

“What are you doing here, Rosita?” Nicole asked. 

“I came with Champ and his family,” she explained. 

“I don’t mean the resort,” Nicole said. “I mean why are you out here right now,” she laughed lightly. 

“Oh,” Rosita laughed. “I was taking a walk and you looked lonely,” she explained. 

“Not lonely,” Nicole told her. “I’m just waiting.” 

“Well, maybe I just wanted to stop and say hi,” Rosita smiled. 

“Hi,” Nicole laughed.  

“It’s good to see you again, Nicole,” Rosita said. “It’s been so long. We had some good times back in the day, didn’t we?” She asked. 

  
  
  


Waverly took a deep breath in of fresh air as she stepped out of her house, on her way to the bench that Nicole had told her to meet her at. She normally arrives earlier that she is projected to, but she had a lot on her mind, causing her to take a longer shower than anticipated. 

When Waverly was close enough that the bench was in sight, she noticed Nicole sitting down with someone next to her. When she realized who it was, slight rage ran through her, involuntarily of course. 

Waverly composed herself before approaching the bench, not wanting to assume the worst about Rosita sitting that closely to Nicole. She slowly walked up behind the redhead and placed a hand on her shoulder. Nicole turned around and a grin grew on her face as she stood up from the bench.

“Ah,” Rosita said, as she turned around to see Waverly standing behind them. “The mystery girl is an Earp,” she said. 

“Goodnight, Rosita,” Nicole smiled, taking Waverly’s hand and leading her down the road. 

“What was that about?” Waverly asked as they walked further away from the bench. 

“Keep walking,” Nicole said. “I don’t want her to follow us,” she laughed.

Waverly laughed and let Nicole lead her across the property. Waverly wondered where they were going but tried not to ask many questions. She thought it was adorable that Nicole wanted to take her on a date, especially since Waverly knew the property like the back of her hand. They walked down a hill toward the edge of the property and Waverly continued to wonder what Nicole was up to. 

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” She finally asked.

“Almost there,” Nicole smiled at the brunette. Continuing to hold her hand, Nicole lead Waverly down the hill toward an ice skating rink on the edge of the property. This is somewhere Nicole and Waverly used to go with their families when they were kids. Nearby was a fire pit on one side and a gazebo on the other. Waverly looked slightly confused for a moment when Nicole told her to stay where she was and walked up to the outside of the gazebo. 

Suddenly the area was lit up with strings of Christmas lights. Waverly’s eyes widened at the sight. A smile grew across her face and she felt her heart beat a little faster. “You did all of this?” Waverly asked, looking around the area at all of the lights that were put up. 

“Wynonna helped, but don’t tell her I told you,” Nicole winked as she gestured for Waverly to join her at the fire pit. 

Waverly laughed. “Secrets safe with me. But seriously, Nicole, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” 

Nicole smiled up at Waverly as she was bent over the pit, starting a fire. “Do you need help?” Waverly asked. 

“I got it,” Nicole smiled. “I told you I can start a fire,” she laughed. 

Waverly sat on the bench near the fire pit, watching Nicole momentarily. When she was done, Nicole joined her on the bench. She put her arm up on the back of the bench, sliding as close as she could to the brunette. Waverly immediately turned and connected her lips with Nicole’s. Nicole was caught slightly off guard but quickly reciprocated the kiss. “What was that for?” Nicole asked, as they separated slightly. 

“I’ve been dying to do that all day,” Waverly smiled. 

“Fair,” Nicole laughed, laying a few more kisses on Waverly’s lips. “Do you want to skate?” She asked. 

Waverly nodded and stood up from the bench. The pair put skates on that Nicole had set up there earlier that day. 

“Wow, it’s been a while,” Nicole said, working on her balance on the edge of the rink. 

“Please don’t hurt your back again,” Waverly warned. 

“I’ll try not to,” Nicole laughed with a wink as she pushed off on the ice, making a smooth circle with her skates. 

“And she’s still a natural at everything she does, folks!” Waverly said in a fake announcer voice. She slowly stepped onto the ice, almost losing her balance at first, then finding the motion more natural. “Do you remember when we used to come down here as kids?” She asked as she caught up to where Nicole was. 

“Yeah, my dad taught me to skate here,” Nicole smiled. “I could get on the ice and skate for hours. It was sort of like being on my snowboard, nothing else in the world mattered,” she reminisced.

Waverly watched in silence as Nicole skated around on the ice. She was a natural. The way the lights reflected off of her red hair and pale skin was captivating. She found herself staring at the redhead, unable to speak for a moment.

“Remember the night we got in trouble because our parents couldn’t find us?” Waverly laughed, finally finding her words again. 

“Oh yeah,” Nicole laughed. “We thought we were being rebels, ice skating after bedtime.”

“You were a bad influence on me,” Waverly teased. 

“Oh please! That was your idea!” Nicole laughed, skating her way up to the brunette. “You threw rocks at my bedroom window and told me to sneak out through it!”

“Maybe I was trying to impress you,” Waverly laughed. My ten year old self was a little confused on how to woo someone,” she joked. 

“Oh yeah? You were wooing me at ten?” Nicole laughed. She wrapped her arms naturally around the brunette’s waist, pulling her closer to her. Her legs spread further apart to keep her balance and be sure she wasn’t about to fall and take Waverly down with her. 

“It’s funny to think back to those times. I feel like things make more sense now,” Waverly sighed. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asked.

“Like how I felt back then. We were young, but I was never blind,” Waverly laughed. 

“Things were much simpler back then,” Nicole laughed. 

“You were the best friend that I had ever had,” Waverly admitted. “No matter how many times you left and came back, it was like we picked up right where we left off. It’s amazing that after all these years, things can still feel the same.”

“Well, it’s a little different now, right?” Nicole asked, giving her a dimpled smile. 

“How so?” Waverly asked. 

“We weren’t  kissing back then,” Nicole said and laid a light kiss on Waverly’s nose. 

“Unless you count spin the bottle,” Waverly reminded her. 

“Oh man,” Nicole laughed, throwing her head back slightly. “I was so nervous to kiss you then.”

“Really?” Waverly asked in disbelief. In her eyes, Nicole Haught always swam in confidence. She never thought of her to be someone who second guessed her actions, especially when they were kids. 

“Yeah,” Nicole admitted. “I didn’t know why then, but I think I do now,” she laughed. “You were Waverly. You were my best friend too and I loved you. Loving you in one way or another has always been a part of me, Waverly.” 

A smile grew across Waverly’s lips as she looked up into the redhead’s eyes. She didn’t speak, but she pulled Nicole closer to her body, resting her head on her chest. She didn’t want to ruin the moment with words, she just wanted to allow them to feel what they felt without complicating it at that moment. 

“Are you cold?” Nicole finally asked, breaking the silence. Waverly lifted her head from Nicole’s chest and nodded slightly. Nicole lead her off the ice so they could warm up by the fire. “I figured you would get cold, hence my excellent fire building skills,” Nicole winked. 

“I guess you’ve thought of everything,” Waverly laughed. 

“It’s a little hard planning an outdoor date in the middle of winter,” Nicole laughed. 

“I’d be happy anywhere with you, Nicole,” Waverly smiled. 

They continued to sit by the fire and reminisce about different things that they used to when Nicole would come visit with her family. Waverly thought about bringing up what she had learned about her father earlier in the day, but she didn’t want to let it hinder the vibes of the night. And honestly, she wasn’t really ready to talk too much about it yet. Waverly asked Nicole how her dinner went with her mom, allowing Nicole to go further into detail about what they talked about. Nicole told Waverly how easy it ended up being explaining to her mom about school and her future dreams. Waverly found herself completely entranced by Nicole as she spoke. Nicole stopped talking and noticed Waverly staring back at her. 

“You okay?” she asked.

“What? Oh, yeah,” she blushed slightly. “Just listening,” she smiled. 

“Sorry if I’m rambling,” Nicole laughed softly. 

“Oh, no, no!” Waverly said quickly. “I love listening to you talk,” she admitted. “I know I’ve said it multiple times, but really, thank you for tonight,” she smiled. “I really needed this.”

“There’s one more thing,” Nicole said, standing up from the bench. Waverly watched, unsure if she should follow the redhead or not. Nicole gestured for Waverly to follow her into the gazebo that was also strung with lights. 

“Remember that one time there was that really bad ice storm?” Nicole asked.  

“The one that lasted 3 days?” Waverly remembered.  

“Yeah and we spent the days watching movies and playing board games,” Nicole reminded her. 

“You mean you spent 3 days complaining about being gypped that you couldn’t snowboard,” Waverly laughed. 

“Twelve year old Nicole didn’t like to be cooped up,” Nicole laughed. “But I remember we watched ‘A Cinderella Story’, what, three times?” 

“I loved that movie,” Waverly admitted. 

“I noticed,” Nicole winked. “You told me that you hoped someday, some guy would be that romantic and dance with you like they do in the gazebo scene.” 

“You remember that?” Waverly asked, slightly surprised.  

Nicole nodded and smiled, reaching her hand out to Waverly. “Well, I don’t have a million lit candles because that’s a fire hazard,” she laughed. “And I don’t have a live band to randomly play music, because this is the real world. But I do have this,” she pushed play on her phone and music began to play through a speaker on the ledge of the gazebo. 

Waverly’s eyes lit up and she looked back at Nicole, almost in disbelief. She look Nicole’s hand and placed her other hand on Nicole’s shoulder, bringing her body closer to the redhead’s. She smiled up at Nicole without words as they began to slow dance.

“I know I’m not some Prince Charming here to sweep you off your feet like you used to dream of,” Nicole laughed. 

“No,” Waverly shook her head. “You’re better,” she smiled back at Nicole. She rested her head on the redhead’s chest, enjoying the moment. “Will you stay with me tonight?” Waverly asked after the dance. 

Nicole nodded, smiling back at the brunette.


	10. Chapter 10

Waverly opened her eyes the next morning thinking about the night before, hoping that it wasn’t just a dream. When she became more coherent, she noticed that she was still wrapped up in Nicole’s arms. She smiled to herself and tried to shift slightly without waking the redhead up. Nicole let out a sigh, eyes still closed, causing Waverly to laugh. “Did I wake you?” She whispered. 

Nicole grunted, continuing to keep her eyes closed. A smile formed on her lips. 

“I see you’re not a morning person,” Waverly laughed. Nicole squinted her eyes open to see the brunette propped up on her elbow, looking down at her. 

“I can become one if this becomes a habit,” Nicole teased. Waverly leaned down, connecting her lips with Nicole’s. They kissed for a bit before Waverly pulled away and continued smiling back at the redhead. 

“I definitely wouldn’t mind,” Waverly told her, leaning back down to kiss Nicole again. The kiss deepened and their tongues lightly brushed against each other. Nicole placed her hand on Waverly’s lower back, fingers dancing across her bare skin,

The sound of the door handle moving cane into the room, causing the pair to jump. “Waves?” Wynonna’s voice came through the door. 

“What?” Waverly huffed, pulling slightly away from Nicole’s kiss. She remained leaning over Nicole with the redhead rubbing small circles on her lower back with her thumb. 

“Why’s your door locked?” Her sister asked. 

“So you don’t come barging in here first thing in the morning like you always do!” Waverly yelled back. Nicole let out a laugh, attempting to remain quiet in case Waverly didn’t want Wynonna to know she was there. 

“But that’s part of my morning routine!” Wynonna whined. 

“Wynonna-” Waverly warned. 

“Are you hiding something?” Wynonna asked, continuing to linger outside the door. 

“She’s relentless,” Waverly whispered to Nicole, shaking her head.

“Waverly Earp! Who are you hiding in there?!” Wynonna yelled through the door. “I can hear you!”

“If you really think someone is in here with me, I would hope you would know who it is,” Waverly laughed. “But please, Wynonna, go away,” she whined, playfully. 

“Fine! But only because I have things to do,” Wynonna stated. “Not because you asked.”

Waverly laughed, shaking her head at what her sister just said. She gave Nicole apologetic eyes. 

“Good morning, Haught stuff,” Wynonna called through the door before leaving Waverly’s door.

“Sorry,” Waverly said to Nicole. “She barges in here every morning,” she laughed. 

“It’s fine,” Nicole smiled. “At least she didn’t actually come in and we’re not naked,” she laughed. 

“I mean, that can change,” Waverly teased. 

“Don’t you have to work this morning?” Nicole asked. 

“The perks of owning the place,” she grinned. “Well, my aunt technically owns it,” she shrugged. 

“Well, in that case.” Nicole laughed and rolled over, hovering over Waverly’s body. She laid soft kisses down Waverly’s neck, causing the brunette to lean her head back further into the pillow. She placed her hand on Waverly’s hip, partially under her shirt. Sliding her hand up her shirt, Waverly’s abs became exposed and Nicole moved down to lay kisses on her bare skin. Waverly took a sharp breath in at the feeling of Nicole’s lips on her body. 

There was a knock at the door and Nicole sat up on the bed, causing Waverly groan. “What?” She called out. 

“Gus wanted me to remind you she needs help today setting up for the party tonight,” Wynonna called through the door. 

“Damnit,” Waverly huffed quietly. “Okay!” She called out to her sister. 

Nicole gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry,” she said softly. 

“They’re going to have to wait for me to shower first,” Waverly told her. “Join me?” She smiled at the redhead. Nicole nodded and climbed off of Waverly, allowing her to get out of bed.

Waverly swung her bedroom door open, catching Wynonna down the hall. “Tell Gus I’ll be down shortly, we’re going to shower first,” she said, flashing a grin at her sister.

“We?” Wynonna asked, spinning around on her heels to see Nicole standing in the doorway behind her sister. She smiled at her and gave her a quick wave before Waverly pulled her down the hall and into the bathroom. 

 

 

“What do you mean you told Waverly?” Dolls said, pacing the room. Wynonna pushed him out of the way of the door and closed it behind him. 

“Can you hush?” Wynonna whispered loudly. “She doesn’t know about you!” 

“Well when you send me a text saying ‘I told my sister,’ maybe you should be a little more specific then!” Dolls continued to pace the room. 

“Can you sit down or something?” Wynonna asked. “You’re freaking me out!” 

“Lives could be on the line here, Wynonna!” Dolls huffed, sitting down on her bed. “You can’t just go talking about it to anyone!” 

“She’s not just anyone, she’s my sister!” 

“But you don’t know who’s she’s telling!” Dolls spat. “I’ll need to brief her.”

“You’re not questioning my sister,” Wynonna said sternly. 

“Wynonna, there’s too much at stake here, and there’s new people checking in. We don’t need this right now!” 

“Xavier, listen,” Wynonna sighed. “She knows the importance of this situation. She was asking questions, she was remembering things. She’s my sister.” Wynonna repeated. Her tone lowered almost to a level of exhaustion that she held over this whole thing. This had been years of her trying to protect her family from the Del Ray gang. Trying to stop them from taking more than they already had from her family. “Please,” Wynonna said, looking the man in the eyes. “Please don’t question her,” Wynonna placed her hand on his shoulder. 

Dolls moved her hand to the small of her back and looked up into her eyes for a moment. “Fine,” he sighed, nodding at Wynonna. 

Wynonna backed away from Dolls and turned to leave the room. “I have to help get this party set for tonight.” She swung her bedroom door open and turned into the hallway. Dolls stood up and followed behind her. As they walked past the bathroom, they heard a moan come through the door. 

“Well, she sounds a little too preoccupied now, anyway,” Dolls grinned at Wynonna who was covering her ears and pretending to gag. 

 

 

Waverly leaned up against the shower wall, one foot planted firmly on the bottom of the tub, the one was slightly wrapped around Nicole’s leg, allowing her to gain more access. “Nicole,” Waverly moaned. “I’m so close,” she breathed. 

Nicole pressed her body against Waverly’s with her right hand between their body’s, moving at a rhythm with Waverly’s hips. Her left arm was on the wall above Waverly’s head to keep a steady balance. Waverly’s breathing increased and Nicole kissed her mouth, feeling the brunette moan into her mouth. This action caused Nicole to speed up her movements, pushing Waverly over the edge. She felt the brunette collapse slowly into her arms, continuing to lean up against the wall. Nicole continued to lay kisses on Waverly’s neck and shoulder, allowing her to catch her breath. 

After their shower, Nicole stepped out of the tub, retrieving a towel for her and one for Waverly. She quickly wrapped one around her body and turned to hand the other one to the brunette. Waverly smiled at Nicole, laying a kiss on her lips before accepting the towel.

“Do you need to borrow some clothes?” Waverly asked, wrapping the towel around her body. Nicole nodded and Waverly led her back into her bedroom, looking to make sure no one else was in the hallway. 

“These are Wynonna’s,” she laughed, pulling a pair of sweatpants out of her drawer. “She won’t miss them.” 

“Thanks,” Nicole smiled, accepting the clothes. 

“So can I ask you something?” Waverly asked, glancing over at Nicole who was sliding the sweatpants onto her legs.

“Shoot,” Nicole said, looking back up at Waverly. 

“What was Rosita talking to you about yesterday when I met you at the bench?” 

Nicole looked back at Waverly, confused at first, as if she didn’t even know who Rosita was. After she realized what she meant, her face softened remembering the jealousy that Waverly had displayed when the subject first came up after Nicole arrived at the resort. 

“Apparently she thought I looked lonely,” she rolled her eyes at the thought of it. “I told her I was waiting for someone. I really didn’t know she was even coming here. I guess she’s here with Champ.”

“Yeah I didn’t know until yesterday that they were coming. I guess she’s dating him now,” Waverly told her. 

“Wait, really?” She cringed at the thought. 

“Yeah, I ran into them earlier in the day yesterday,” Waverly told her. 

“You sure they’re dating?” Nicole asked. 

“Yeah, that’s what they said. Why?” Waverly asked. 

“Because she seemed a little flirty for someone with a boyfriend,” Nicole admitted. 

“She what?” 

“Hey,” Nicole said, putting her hands up in front of her. “I didn’t reciprocate it!” She assured her.

“I don’t care!” Waverly huffed. “She can keep her damn hands to herself!” She warned, pointing a finger at the redhead. Nicole didn’t speak, but smiled back at Waverly. “What?!” 

“You’re really adorable,” Nicole continued to smile, taking a step toward Waverly. She wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist. “You’re the only one whose hands I want on me,” she winked. 

“You’re going to do that every time I become irrational, aren’t you?” Waverly asked, attempting to still look angry. 

“Do what?” Nicole grinned down at Waverly, dimples showing. 

“I hate you,” Waverly smiled. 

Nicole leaned down and laid a soft kiss on her lips. “You do not,” she laughed. “But seriously, babe, there’s nothing to worry about.” 

Waverly sighed, pulling Nicole tighter to her body. “I better go find Gus before my bloodhound sister comes back for me,” she laughed. 

“Do you guys need help today?” Nicole asked, as Waverly pulled away from her. “I’ve been known to throw a pretty good party in the past,” she told her. 

“Big city parties?” Waverly laughed. 

“You know it,” Nicole laughed. “Maybe you can come visit me sometime and find out,” she said. 

“Man, you already want to take me home with you?” Waverly joked, winking at Nicole. 

“You’ve already taken me home with you,” Nicole laughed. “I guess it’s only fair.” She kissed Waverly softly on the nose. 

“Deal,” Waverly winked. “Okay, I really need to get going,” she laughed. “You want to meet us over at the main cabin?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Nicole nodded. “I’m going to go put on my own clothes first,” she said, gesturing to the Purgatory High sweatpants and old band tee shirt she was currently sporting, causing Waverly to laugh. “I’ll see you soon,” she kissed the brunette once more before heading back to her cabin. 

 

 

“And she makes an appearance,” Andrea teased as Nicole entered the suite. 

Nicole laughed as she took her jacket off and hung it on a nearby hook. 

“How was your night, honey?” Her mother asked. 

“It was pretty great,” Nicole smiled. “I didn’t tell her I was going to marry her yet though,” she joked, referring back to the story her mother had told her about her father. 

“Wait, what?” Daniel asked as he plopped down on the couch next to his twin sister.

“Inside joke,” Nicole said to her brother. 

“Whose clothes are you wearing?” Megan asked as her sister. 

“Wynonna’s,” Nicole laughed. “I had to borrow some I forgot to bring clothes over. I took a shower and didn’t want to put my clothes back on.”

“Why would you take a shower over there if you didn’t have clean clothes?” Megan asked. 

“I, uh, forgot i didn’t bring any,” Nicole suddenly began to stutter.  

“Oh, gross,” Megan huffed at the realization she just had about what her sister was actually doing. Nicole quickly gave her sister a warning look as if not to say anything in front of their mother. 

“So, Nicky, today can I show you some of the new tricks I’ve been working on since you got hurt?” Daniel asked. 

“Oh, I don’t know if I’ll make it up there today, dude. I told Waverly I’d help them set up for this New Year’s Eve party tonight,” Nicole told him. 

“Oh, yeah, okay. Another day, then,” Daniel said, softly. 

“Dan..” Nicole continued.  

“No, it’s cool,” Daniel said, forcing a smile on his face. 

“Tomorrow, all day. You and me?” Nicole asked, nudging her brother playfully. 

“Yeah, sure,” he smiled, turning to go out into the balcony. Nicole stopped for a second, turning toward the balcony. 

“He’ll be okay,” Megan assured her, smiling at her sister. 

  
  


 

Wynonna handed Nicole a bag of balloons when she entered the main cabin to help decorate for the New Year’s Eve party. “Go ahead, Haught stuff,” Wynonna said. “You’re full of Haught air right?” She winked. Nicole shook her head at the brunette, laughing slightly. 

“Sure,” she laughed. Opening the bag of balloons, she sat in a nearby chair and started to blow them up. She spotted Waverly across the room, hanging up streamers with Gus. She found herself staring at the brunette while she blew the balloons up. It didn’t take her long to start to have a pile of balloons surrounding her feet. Waverly continued to move around the room, hanging streamers. 

Waverly turned to see Nicole blowing up another balloon. She made eye contact with the redhead and winked at her playfully. Nicole started to laugh, spitting the balloon out. Waverly broke out into laughter at the site of the balloon flying out of Nicole’s mouth. “Sorry,” she laughed. 

After completing the task, Nicole was hanging the balloons up throughout the room. She stood in the window that overlooked the ski slopes, pausing for a moment to watch people descend down the mountain. Waverly noticed that Nicole had been standing in the window without moving for a little while. “You okay,” she asked, coming up behind the redhead and placing a hand on her back. 

“What?” Nicole asked, breaking her stare out the window. She turned to see Waverly standing next to her. “Oh, yeah, I was just thinking,” she said softly. 

“About anything in particular?” Waverly asked. 

“I think I upset my brother earlier,” Nicole explained. She hated disappointing people. She knew Daniel wouldn’t be mad at her for long, but the thought of letting him down still felt like a punch to the gut. 

“What happened?” Waverly asked. 

“He wanted to show me some tricks on the slopes today, but I told him I had already said I’d help you guys,” Nicole explained. 

“Nicole, if you want to go hang out with your brother today, that’s fine,” Waverly said, wrapping her arm around Nicole’s waist. 

“But I told you guys I’d help,” Nicole protested. “I didn’t want to let you down either.”

“Sit with me for a minute?” Waverly asked, gesturing to a nearby table. Nicole nodded and followed the brunette to the table. Wynonna looked up and noticed the pair and was about to call them out for not helping when Gus slapped her on the arm to stop her. 

Nicole sat in one of the chairs and dropped her head to the table, fully prepared to be lectured about how she wasn’t letting anyone down, even if that’s exactly how she felt. 

“Nicole, I know you’re here with your family,” Waverly began. “I’m never going to hold the time you spend with them against you because I want to see you.” Nicole lifted her head slightly off the table to look at Waverly. Waverly placed her hand on Nicole’s back, running small circles with her thumb. “Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing you,” Waverly smiled. “But your family loves it too.”

“I know,” Nicole said, softly. 

“And I’m pretty sure that brother of yours worships the ground you walk on,” Waverly laughed. 

“You might be right,” Nicole laughed. 

“I’m always right,” Waverly said, confidently. “Go see your brother,” she insisted. “I’ll see you later.” She nudged Nicole, playfully. 

“You sure?” Nicole asked, being sure that they would be okay without the extra help. 

Waverly smiled and nodded at the redhead. “Be my date to the party tonight?” She asked. 

“Of course,” Nicole said with a smile, standing up from the table. She kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave the room. 

“Wait, where’s she going?” Wynonna asked. 

“To snowboard with her brother,” Waverly explained. 

“How does she get out of helping?!” Wynonna whined. 

“She’s a guest here,” Waverly told her. 

“Fine, I’m calling Dolls then,” Wynonna told her. “I’m making him help.” 

“What happened to Doc?” Waverly asked her sister. She never really knew the status of Wynonna’s personal relationships and tried not to question them too often. 

“It’s complicated,” Wynonna sighed. 

  
  


 

“So how about that trick you wanted to show me?” Nicole said, coming up behind her brother, who was sitting at the top of the mountain, watching people board to the bottom. 

“Nicky?” Daniel asked, confused. He glanced up at his sister, squinting in the sunlight that was behind her. 

“Dan, listen,” Nicole said. She took a seat next to him in the snow. “I’m sorry I ditched you.”

“It’s fine,” Daniel said, unconvincingly. He stood up and moved slightly away from his sister. 

“It’s not fine.” Nicole stood up, following her brother. I didn't think about how we hadn’t been up here in a few days. I got a little caught up in my own thing.”

“A little?” Daniel huffed.  

“Okay, a lot,” Nicole admitted. 

“I’m not mad that you found something of your own, Nicky. I just missed hanging out with you,” Daniel admitted. 

“Well, we don’t have to stop because I found my own thing,” Nicole laughed. “I wouldn’t drop my brother for girl,” she winked. 

“Not even Waverly Earp? I mean, she’s like the coolest girl though,” Daniel laughed. 

Nicole laughed. “She is pretty cool. She helped me get my head out of my ass and get up here with you today,” she told him. 

“Extra cool points then,” he laughed. “It takes a lot sometimes for you to get your head out of your ass,” he joked. 

“You better watch yourself before I push you down the hill,” Nicole laughed. 

“Damn, a true Haught apology. Starts out nice then ends with threatening to hurt each other,” Daniel laughed, turning his board toward the hill. “Now, watch a learn big sister,” he gave his sister a wink as he began his descent down the mountain.  

Nicole watched in awe as her brother made his way down the mountain. She was impressed by his natural skills and what he was able to pick up in the time they had been there. She was beginning to feel a little better about deciding to come back to hang out with her brother. Part of her was having a hard time being away from Waverly, wanting to spend her time continuing to get to know her again. But the other part realized she was being a little crazy, knowing that space was okay too. 

  
  


 

Nicole spent the rest of the day snowboarding with her siblings. By late afternoon, they called it quits to go get ready for the party. 

“So, Romeo, did you find any hot dates for the New Year’s Eve party tonight?” Nicole asked at her brother as they entered their family’s suite. 

Megan started to laugh to herself. “Shut up!” Daniel shoved her. “You’re in the same boat as me!” 

“I’m not looking for some random person to make out with at midnight,” Megan huffed.

“Alright, alright,” Nicole said, attempting to calm her siblings down. “That’s not important,” she said, changing the subject. “At least we’re going to be able to bring in the new year together! From what I remember, these parties are pretty cool.” 

“Yeah, because you can drink,” Megan laughed. 

“As long as I get my rematch in air hockey with Waverly, I’m fine,” Daniel said.

“It’s mister steal your girl,” Megan laughed, nudging her sister and gesturing to her brother. Nicole laughed, shaking her head at her siblings. 

  
  


 

“So is there a reason Dolls has been staring at me all day?” Waverly asked her sister as they finished setting up the tables for the party together. 

“Huh?” Wynonna asked. “I don’t know, he’s weird,” she said, attempting brush off the question. 

“Is there something going on between the two of you?” Waverly questioned her further. 

“What?!” Wynonna laughed. 

“Oh please, that man has been in love with you for years!” Waverly told her sister. “Don’t act like you haven’t noticed.” 

Wynonna looked up at Dolls and he was staring back at them. He looked away quickly and Wynonna shook her head. His feelings for her was never something she wasn’t aware of, but he was her coworker. She often found herself to be flirty with him, but she wasn’t sure that there was much else there between them. Dolls looked back at Wynonna, quickly. Maybe she was just trying to push the possibility aside. 

“Let’s go get ready for this party,” Wynonna smiled at her sister, nudging her playfully. 

  
  


 

“Bow tie or no bow tie?” Daniel held up a bow tie to his neck then took it away to show his sisters as he entered the bedroom of their suite. 

“Always go with the bow tie,” Nicole told him. “Here,” she walked over to him to help him put the bow tie on, fixing his collar for him. “You look fly.”

“Thanks, Nicky,” he smiled. 

“Are you guys almost ready?” Andrea asked, popping her head into their bedroom. 

“Yeah!” Daniel said. “Let’s roll!”    
  
  


 

“Babygirl, you’re taking forever!” Wynonna whined from outside of Waverly’s bedroom. She had already been dressed and ready to go to the party for at least ten minutes by now. Dolls exited the bathroom, dressed in a button down and a tie. Wynonna turned her head toward his direction. Her eyes widened at the sight. “Well look at you,” she smiled at him. He walked up to her and she reached up to straighten his tie a little. 

“Thanks,” he smiled. The bedroom door swung open and Waverly was standing in the doorway. Dolls and Wynonna turned toward the brunette. 

“You look beautiful, babygirl,” Wynonna smiled at her sister. 

“Let’s get going!” Waverly smiled, walking past the pair. 

  
  
  


When the Haughts arrived at the cabin, there weren’t many people there yet. Andrea found Gus and asked if she needed anything help with anything. Daniel reminded Waverly that she owed him a game of air hockey at some point. Waverly promised that she would. Megan found a spot on a couch in the game room and sat looking down at her phone. Nicole spotted her across the room and joined her on the couch. “What’s up, Meg?” She asked. 

“Not really into the whole ‘New Year’s Eve’ thing,” Megan told her, continuing to stare at her phone. 

“Any particular reason why?” Nicole said, glancing at Megan’s phone in her hand. Her sister looked up at her. 

“I don’t need to kiss anyone at midnight to make it a good year,” Megan told her, plainly. 

“Meg, you’re 14, you don’t need to kiss anyone at all for it to be a good year,” Nicole laughed. 

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” she said softly. 

“Did you end up finally responding to that boy?” Nicole asked. 

Megan nodded with a smile. “He told me we could FaceTime at midnight.” 

“That’s really sweet,” Nicole smiled, nudging her sister lightly. The pair looked up when they saw someone walk up to them. 

“How’s two out of three of my favorite Haught kids doing?” A bubbly Waverly asked. 

“What's the real order of your favorites?” Megan asked with a smirk. 

“You and Daniel are an even tie, then Nicole,” Waverly pretended to whisper behind her hand, winking at Megan. 

“Damn, I was about to tell you that you looked really pretty tonight,” Nicole teased. 

Waverly blushed slightly and leaned over, whispering in Nicole’s ear, “meet me in the hall in 5 minutes?” Nicole nodded and smiled at the brunette who walked away with a bit of a pep in her step. 

“Do I want to know what she whispered?” Megan asked. 

“She said to meet her in the hallway in 5 minutes,” Nicole admitted, honestly. 

“Are you two gonna make out in the hallway?” Megan asked. 

“Probably.” 

“Fair.” 

Nicole laughed out loud. “Thanks for accepting that,” she told her sister. 

“I told you she’s cool, Nicky,” Megan laughed. “I’m not dumb,” she reminded her. 

“I didn’t think you were, but it still means a lot that you approve,” Nicole smiled. 

“Really?” Megan asked. Megan always had a decent relationship with her sister but she always thought that Nicole and Daniel had a better connect, causing her to feel like the outsider at times.

“Really,” Nicole smiled. “You guys are my best friends. I don’t think I could date anyone you didn’t like,” she explained.

“So are you officially dating?” Megan asked. 

“I mean, we haven’t really talked about a title yet,” Nicole laughed. 

“Yet,” Megan repeated. 

Nicole smiled back at her sister as she stood up from the couch. “Try to have some fun tonight,” she told her sister. Megan nodded and smiled back at Nicole. 

Nicole turned to make her way out into the hallway in search of Waverly. When she left the room, she looked both ways in the hallway, noticing that there was no one out there. She looked confused for second, then felt someone pull on her arm. She turned around, back against the wall and felt Waverly push up on her toes, contenting her lips to the redhead’s. The kiss deepened, Waverly slid her hand up to Nicole’s neck, running her fingers through her hair. 

They kissed for a moment, then Waverly pulled away with a smile on her face. “Hey there,” she winked. 

“Hey,” Nicole breathed. “How was the rest of your day?” Nicole asked, gently rubbing Waverly’s arm with her hand. 

“Busy,” Waverly said. “But better now. How was snowboarding?” 

“It was fun,” Nicole smiled. “Thanks for telling me to go.”

“I’m not going to be the reason you don’t spend time with your family,” Waverly told her.

“But I see them all year,” Nicole whined. 

“But they’re your family and you love them,” Waverly told her, kissing her lightly on the cheek. 

“Fine,” Nicole huffed. She leaned in to kiss Waverly’s lips a little more before they decided to make an appearance at the party. 

 

 

The party started slow at first, but as the night went on, more people arrived. Waverly was busy running back and forth, helping the staff keep the party running smoothly. “Waverly, dear,” Gus said, coming up behind the brunette. Waverly was cleaning up in the kitchen and turned to see her aunt. “Take the rest of the night off,” Gus smiled. 

“Are you sure? I can help, Gus, I don’t mind!” Waverly smiled.

“It’s New Year’s Eve, you’re 21, go have fun,” Gus insisted. Waverly smiled at her aunt and finished cleaning the dish that she was washing. “Thanks,” she smiled, hanging up the dish cloth and making her way back into the main party room. She stood back, momentarily, looking over the room to see the amount of guests that have arrived. 

On one side of the room, Nicole was standing with her brother, watching a couple other kids playing air hockey. She remembered that she owed him a game before the night was over. She continued to scan the room, noticing her sister talking with Dolls in another area of the room. She studied them carefully at first, trying to figure out what they were up to. Did Dolls know about Wynonna’s undercover work? Was he somehow involved? In another area of the room, Mr. Hardy was speaking to a few other men. Waverly was never sure how she felt about Mr. Hardy. On one hand, he was a pretty nice man on the surface, but on the other hand, Waverly never felt that his intentions were pure. Then again, she didn’t think the apple fell far from the tree in that family. 

Enter Champ Hardy, a close friend of Waverly’s when they were kids, but an egotistical ass when they were older. Pursuing Waverly appeared to be one of Champ’s favorite past times, however, Waverly got over it real quick. There was one winter when she was 18 where she thought, maybe, just maybe Champ had a real sweet side to him. She was wrong. That’s a time she really doesn’t like to talk about. But Champ seems to find power in the fact that he was her first, well, everything. 

Champ arrived later in the night with Rosita by his side. Not even minutes later, Doc arrived. Waverly smiled politely at Doc, greeting him upon his arrival. Doc nodded at her with a smile and the tip of his cowboy hat. She watched him sporadically throughout the night, noticing that he was spending more time talking with the Hardy family than he was with Wynonna. While she was curious, she didn’t want it to ruin her night. 

 

 

Waverly spent the majority of her night with Nicole and her family. She was somehow roped into several games of air hockey by Nicole’s brother. She really didn’t mind, she really did enjoy spending time with their family. 

“Okay, one more game!” Daniel called out with a smile. 

“Shouldn’t you give other people a chance to play, bud?” Nicole asked. 

“After this last game!” He smiled. 

“Deal,” Waverly said, getting prepared to play another game. “Will you get me another drink?” She asked, turning to Nicole. 

Nicole smiled and nodded. She was attempting to not get too drunk around her family but she had been casually drinking most of the night as well. She noticed Waverly became more flirty toward her as she drank, which she didn’t hate. She made her way over to the drinks and felt someone walk up behind her. 

“Having fun?” Rosita asked, pouring herself a drink as well. 

“Yeah,” Nicole said, smiling politely at the other woman. 

“Listen, Nicole,” Rosita continued. “You don’t need to avoid me because of what happened when we were teenagers. I’m with Champ now, that’s all in the past,” she said. 

“Okay, cool.” Was all Nicole said. She wasn’t really trying to avoid her, she just wasn’t interested in talking to her. She knew that it made Waverly uncomfortable and she wasn’t trying to participate in that. She also felt that Rosita was making it seem like there was more feelings involved in their hookup than there was. At least for Nicole, it was just a hookup. 

“You trying to steal my girl back, Haught?” The voice if Champ hardy echoed behind her. Nicole fringed slightly as she shook her head ‘no.’ Champ and Rosita continued to try to make small talk with Nicole. She scanned the room, attempting to make eye contact with anyone who could come save her. “Besides, apparently you already got one of my girls,” Champ slurred, gaining Nicole’s attention again.

“Excuse me?” She asked. That struck a nerve. 

“You know we were together, right?” Champ asked. She actually didn’t know what really happened between Waverly and Champ, therefore she didn’t know how to respond. Nicole took a swing of her drink and a deep breath. She tried to smile politely at the man without giving away too much indication of her desire to hit him. 

“Well, the past is the past, Champ,” she said, calmly with a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she smiled, turning her back to the pair. 

“I wonder who’s better in bed,” Champ called out to Nicole causing her to stop in her tracks. “I know it’s me,” he nudged Rosita, who appeared slightly uncomfortable with this comment. Nicole slowly turned back around. 

“Nicole, I've never..” Rosita tried to tell her, letting her know that it was all Champ trying to get under her skin. 

“I don’t care what he thinks,” Nicole said to Rosita, refusing to address Champ directly at all. “But he needs to keep Waverly’s name out of his mouth.” Rosita nodded. 

“That’s not all I’ve had in my mouth,” Champ shot Nicole a quick grin and a wink.

“Fuck off, Hardy!” Nicole yelled. By now, there was more attention on the scene happening in the corner of the room. Nicole felt someone push her gently from behind, directing her out of the room. 

“Calm down, Nicole,” Megan warned as she pushed her sister into the hallway. “What the hell was that?” 

“He’s an asshole,” Nicole huffed. 

“Well, that’s not new,” Megan told her. “But you can’t just go punching everyone that’s an asshole.” 

Nicole leaned up against the wall in the hallway and took a deep breath. Waverly’s face appeared around the corner. Nicole’s eyes drifted to the floor. “You okay?” Waverly asked, softly. Nicole nodded, continuing to not make eye contact. 

“I’ll let you guys talk,” Megan smiled at Waverly as she made her way back into the party. Waverly mouthed ‘thank you,’ to the younger Haught and slowly approached Nicole. 

“Nicole,” Waverly started. 

“I’m sorry,” Nicole said, softly.

“Hey,” Waverly said, standing in front of Nicole. She put her finger gently under the redhead’s chin, lifting her head until there was significant eye contact. “Champ is an asshole.” 

“You got that right,” Nicole said. “You slept with that guy?!” Nicole spat in disbelief. Quickly she realized her tone and apologized. “I’m sorry, Waves, I didn’t…” 

Waverly let out a quick breath. She was shocked by Nicole’s tone at first, but understanding of her frustration.

“Once, when I was 18. Some small part of me had a momentary lapse in judgement, thinking he was different than he is,” she admitted. 

“That’s none of my business, I’m sorry,” Nicole apologized again.

“It’s okay, you can know,” Waverly told her. “Just not one of my proudest moments,” she laughed. A small smile formed on Nicole’s face. “There she is,” Waverly smiled.

“Sorry,” Nicole apologized again. 

“Stop apologizing,” Waverly told her. “I know he’s an ass. And unfortunately I can’t do anything about him being here. His dad is interested in making an investment deal with Gus to help continue to fund the place. She’s been having some trouble with some of the repairs. I’m not sure why she couldn’t find anyone else in the entire world,” she rolled her eyes.

“So you mean I have to swallow my pride and deal with it?” Nicole huffed. 

“How about I keep you distracted then?” Waverly grinned. She placed her hands on Nicole’s hips, pulling her closer to her body and laid a soft kiss on her lips. 

“So anytime I feel frustrated, I get more of this?” Nicole asked. 

“If that’s what you need,” Waverly smiled. “Now let's get back into that party before we miss the countdown to midnight.” 

Nicole nodded and took Waverly’s hand in here, leading her back into the party room. The party continued on better from there. Waverly and Nicole spent their time with Nicole’s sister for the most part. Waverly would make her way around the room every once in a while to socialize with other guests. Even when she had the night off, she felt the responsibility of holding up the reputation of the resort. As the night went on, and the alcohol continued to flow, Nicole and Waverly become physically closer every time they were near each other. 

Midnight was near and Nicole was sitting in a chair near her sister, with a drink in her hand. Nicole’s brother was nearby, sitting on another couch, talking with another guest at the resort. Nicole coughed the gain his attention, winking at him when he looked. He rolled his eyes at his sister and continued his conversation with the girl. Waverly soon joined the group, taking a seat comfortably on Nicole’s lap. Nicole smiled and instinctively wrapped her free arm around the brunette’s waist.

Waverly glanced across the room at her sister, who was still spending her time talking with Dolls. Wynonna would place her hand on Dolls’ arm as they spoke at times, laughing here and there. Waverly found herself staring at her sister and Dolls for a moment. “What’s up with them?” Nicole asked. 

“Who knows,” Waverly said, looking back at the redhead. “The less we know, the better,” she winked, looking back toward her sister briefly. She then brought her attention over to Doc, who appeared to be deep in conversation with Champ’s dad. She decided not to think too much into it and turned her attention back to Nicole and her siblings. 

As the countdown to midnight began, Waverly noticed her sister and Dolls were no longer in the room. As much as she wanted to go try to find them, she turned her focus back to Nicole for the final 10 seconds of the year. The noise level in the room increased as party goers began to countdown the time together. 

10, 9, 8...

People were prepared with noise makers and others were pairing off. Nicole glanced at her sister who was now on FaceTime with Will. She smiled at the teen, remembering what it was like to be that young and in love. 

7, 6, 5…

She looked back at Waverly, who was making eye contact with her. A smile grew across her face. The more she looked back at the brunette, she remembered what it was like to be young and in love because that’s how she was feeling in that very moment. She wrapped her arm further around Waverly’s torso. Waverly slid her hand over Nicole’s linking her fingers in between the redhead’s. 

4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year! The sound of noise makers and cheering filled the air. Nicole placed her hand Waverly’s cheek, leaning in to kiss her. The kiss was passionate at first, similar to the first time they kissed. They pulled away briefly, but quickly continued to lay lighter kisses on each other’s lips. “Happy New Year,” Waverly smiled. 

“Happy New Year,” Nicole smiled, kissing Waverly a few more times.

 

 

The party continued for a couple more hours. As the night went on, guests began to leave and go back to their cabins. The Haughts decided to leave around 1am, Nicole decided to stay back with Waverly, letting her mom know she would probably be back in the morning. Waverly and Nicole stayed for a little while longer and decided to make their way back to Waverly’s house. They walked slowly under the night sky, the stars seemed to shine extra bright that night. 

As they made their way upstairs in the house, they could hear noise coming from Wynonna’s bedroom. Waverly’s eyes widened when she realized what she was hearing. Nicole started to laugh. “That’s not funny,” Waverly huffed. 

“Who’s she even in there with?” Nicole asked. “Wasn’t Doc still at the party?”

“This is why I don’t ask,” Waverly laughed, quickly entering her room and shutting the door behind her. 

Nicole walked over to the window in Waverly’s room, opening the curtain and glancing up at the sky. “The stars are so beautiful tonight,” she smiled. Waverly walked up behind Nicole and wrapped her arms around the redhead’s waist from behind. Nicole turned around quickly, wrapping her arms around Waverly. Waverly rested her head on Nicole’s chest, closing her eyes. “Are you tired?” Nicole asked. Waverly nodded.

The pair made their way to the bed, leaving the window open revealing the stars in the sky. Nicole laid down on the bed first and Waverly crawled up next to her, wrapping her arm around Nicole’s torso. Nicole gently ran her thumb up and down on Waverly’s arm as she saw the brunette look up at her. She smiled down at Waverly, then turned her head to look at the stars out the window. Nicole began to tell Waverly about her love for the stars and how she wished she was able to see them at home more often than she does. Waverly smiled at Nicole, quietly listening to her talk until she could no longer keep her eyes open and she drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, the sun came shining through the open window and against Nicole’s face. She squinted her eyes open and noticed that she was now alone in Waverly’s bed. She continued to lay still for a moment, waiting until she was fully coherent, before she left the bed. Part of her wished the brunette was still in the bed so she didn’t have to get up yet.

When she felt a little more awake, Nicole sat up in the bed and rotated to plant her feet on the floor. She looked up at the door and noticed a small sticky note stuck to it. She stood up and walked over to the note, peeling it off of the door before reading it. The note read, ‘had to work breakfast this morning and didn’t want to wake you’ with a small heart drawn at the end. Nicole smiled and tucked the note into her pocket.

She made her way out into the hallway a few minutes later. As she last Wynonna’s room, she heard the door opening and Dolls appeared in the doorway. Nicole turned toward him and smiled. “Morning,” she smiled as she descended down the stairs.

Dolls nodded at the redhead and ducked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. “Oops,” he said turning back to Wynonna who was still laying in bed.

“What?” Wynonna asked.

“Haught was in the hallway,” Dolls said with a guilty look on his face like the two of them were about to be in trouble.

“Was my sister there?” Wynonna asked, nonchalantly. “I have to talk to her.”

“No, but you don’t think she’ll tell her?” Dolls asked, continuing his nervous questions.

“Tell her what, Dolls?” Wynonna was growing slightly frustrated with the man.

“About us,” Dolls finally said.

“My sister's not dumb, Xavier,” Wynonna laughed.

“Why are you so nonchalant about all of this?” Dolls huffed, sitting back down on the bed. Wynonna rolled over in the bed and placed her hand on his leg.

“You’re kind of cute when you’re flustered,” she grinned with a wink. Dolls shook his head at the brunette and stood back up. Leaving Wynona’s room, he made his way into the bathroom and closed the door. Wynonna laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.   
  


 

Nicole entered the mess hall to look for her family. She glanced around the room briefly and saw Waverly wiping down a nearby table. Her family was a few tables away, eating breakfast. Nicole walked up to the table where Waverly was first.

“Good morning, beautiful,” she smiled at the brunette.

Waverly looked up from what she was doing with a big smile on her face. “Good morning, how did you sleep?”

“Pretty good,” Nicole smiled. “I missed you this morning.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Waverly apologized. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s okay,” Nicole assured her. “I was going to grab some food, how long are you working today?” She asked. 

“I’m not sure, depends on what clean up needs to be done after last night,” Waverly told her. “Wynonna has also been texting me all morning, so I’m not sure what she needs.”

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole said. “I, um, saw Dolls coming out of her room this morning,” she said softly, unsure of how the brunette would react.

“I figured,” Waverly said, rolling her eyes.

Nicole was slightly shocked by the reaction. “Is this normal?”

“I’m not sure,” Waverly laughed. “But I don’t think it’s new,” she told her. “What are your plans today?”

“I promised Daniel I would board with him all day since I sort of ditched him yesterday,” Nicole said.

“Oh yeah,” Waverly remembered. “Ditching your baby brother for a girl,” she shook her head at the redhead, nudging her playfully. Nicole dropped her head in shame, causing Waverly to laugh. “You’re still a good sister, Nicole,” she assured her.

“Maybe you can join us later if you’re free,” Nicole offered.

“I’d love to,” Waverly smiled.

“I better go join the fam,” Nicole said, gesturing at her family behind her. “I’ll see you later!”

Waverly smiled at Nicole as she watched her make her way over to her family, immediately stealing food from her brother’s plate and sitting down next to him.

“Morning, fam,” Nicole smiled as she sat down.

“Glad you made an appearance this morning,” her mother laughed.

“Waverly let me sleep in,” Nicole told her with a laugh.

“Wow, she’s nicer to you than we are,” Megan laughed.

“How was the rest of your night, sweetheart?” Andrea asked.

“Damn, mom, you really want those details?” Megan joked.

Andrea shook her head at her younger daughter. “You guys are bad,” she laughed.

“It was nice,” Nicole smiled. “Despite popular belief,” she turned and looked toward her sister. “It was uneventful,” she laughed.

Daniel broke out into laughter in response to his sisters. “Uh, hey, Nicky, I know we had plans to board today but I was sort of thinking I’d hang out with Kayla today.”

“That girl from last night?” Nicole asked.

“Yeah, she asked if I wanted to board with her today,” Daniel explained.

“Man, Nicky, you’re getting ditched for a girl! How does it feel?” Megan laughed. “The tables have turned!”

Nicole looked over at her sister and laughed. “Yeah, yeah,” she huffed. “That’s cool, Dan, have fun,” she nudged him playfully. “You want to board today?” She asked Megan.

“Wow, am I your second choice?” Megan pretended to be offended. Waverly made her way over to the table and sat down next to Nicole.

“Morning Haughts,” she smiled. “How’s everyone today?”

“Nicky got ditched by Dan for a girl and she thinks I’m about to take his place being her boarding buddy,” Megan recapped, taking a sip of her juice.

Waverly laughed. “What if I joined you guys and we had a girls day?” She asked.

“Pfft,” Megan huffed. “I don’t want anything to do with whatever that entails,” she laughed.

“Don’t be rude,” Andrea warned.

“I mean, no offense,” Megan laughed.

Waverly laughed. “None taken.”

“I’m sorry about her,” Nicole laughed, shaking her head at her sister. “So I guess I’m a free agent today,” she smiled.

“Maybe Gus will let me ditch out early,” Waverly told her. Nicole smiled a dimpled smile back at the brunette and nodded her head. Waverly excused herself from the table and gently squeezed Nicole’s shoulder before she walked away. Nicole placed her hand quickly on Waverly’s before it slipped out from underneath hers when the brunette walked away. Nicole turned her head to the side, watching as Waverly walked away.

“So have you told her you’re in love with with her yet?” Daniel asked.

“What?” Nicole said, turning her head back to her brother.

“Leave your sister alone!”  Andrea told her son.

  
  


After breakfast, Daniel hit the slopes with the girl he had met at the New Year’s Eve party. Megan decided to spend the day with her mom around the resort. Nicole set out in a mission, starting with stopping by the Earp house, hoping to find Wynonna.

“Hey, Wynonna,” Nicole smiled when the brunette answered the door.

“My sister is not here, Haught Stuff,” Wynonna told her.

“I’m actually looking for you,” Nicole told her.

“Oh, I knew this day would come,” Wynonna started. “Look, you’re pretty hot and all, but you’re not really my type,” she teased.

Nicole groaned and pulled something from her pocket. “Have you ever seen a key like this before? Or know what it goes to?” She asked, ignoring Wynonna’s comment.

“Where did it come from?” She asked, taking it from the redhead to examine it.

“My dad left it for me,” Nicole told her. “He insisted that I have it here, maybe he left something here?”

Wynonna looked at the key a little longer and her eyes widened a little. “I think I do know,” she said. “Come with me,” she said as she lead Nicole out of the house and down the hill. Nicole followed Wynonna to the cabin that she and Waverly had spent the night in earlier in her vacation. Wynonna lead through the cabin to a room in the back. She opened the door and walked over to a nearby closet, opening the door. Wynonna took the key and placed it into the lock of what looked like an old safe.

“What’s that?” Nicole asked as she watched the brunette.

“This is my dad’s old office,” Wynonna explained. “He didn’t let us in here often but one day I was hiding in here when we were kids and I asked him what this safe was. He told me to leave it alone,” she said. “He never had the key to it.” She turned the key and the door clicked open. “I guess it was your dad’s safe.”

Nicole leaned over to look inside. “What’s in it?” She asked as Wynonna pulled out what looked like a book.

“It looks like a ledger.” Wynonna was slightly confused. She handed the book to Nicole. “I guess it’s yours.”

Nicole flipped through the pages of the book. “It looks like a ledger to bank accounts in mine and my siblings’ names,” Nicole told her, confused.

“Why would he leave them here?” Wynonna asked, confused.

“I have no idea,” Nicole told her. She reached further into the safe and pulled out an envelope that had her name on the outside of it. She slipped the envelope into her back pocket.

“Wait, you’re not going to open it?” Wynonna asked. “You can’t involve me this much and not open it with me!” Wynonna whined.

“It’s from my dad, Wynonna,” Nicole said, softly. “It might be the last thing I ever open from him.”

Wynonna’s face softened. “Hey, I’m sorry,” she said, placing her hand on Nicole’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Nicole told her.

“Open it on your own time,” Wynonna smiled.

“You’re getting soft,” Nicole teased.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Wynonna laughed. “How about I leave you alone with it?” She asked.

Nicole nodded. “Thanks,” she said softly as the pair exited the office, making their way into the living room. Nicole sat down on the couch in the as Wynonna left the cabin. Nicole stared at the envelope momentarily before opening it. Her stomach dropped slightly at the sight of her father’s handwriting. Part of her never expected to ever see it on anything new ever again now that he was gone. She took a deep breath and opened the paper further to read the words.

The letter explained the ledger and the bank accounts that her father had left to her and others to her siblings when they turn 18. He explained that he had opened the accounts in their names to be sure they weren’t left with nothing.

“I know you’re thinking about college, Nicky, but if you find it’s not for you, that's okay,” she read out loud, tears started to roll down her cheeks. She laughed slightly at his words and his honesty. Her father always knew her better than anyone. “You know I never finished college either,” she continued to read. “It’s not for everyone. You’ll find your way someday.” She stopped reading momentarily to wipe the tears from her face.

Her phone suddenly went off, indicating a new text message from Waverly asking if she was okay. She assumed that Wynonna talked to her already. She didn’t respond yet and put her phone down on the couch next to her.

“I want you to do want you want to do with this money, Nicky,” she continued reading. “You’ve spent so long doing things for others, it’s time you do something for yourself.” Nicole leaned back on the couch and took a deep breath in, attempting to hold more tears back. After a moment, she continued reading the rest of the letter. He went on to explain that he left it at the resort because it was a place he loved and knew it meant a great deal to Nicole as well. He wanted her to spend at least once more at the resort with her family because it was what he would have wanted to do as well.

She finished the letter and placed it on top of the ledger that was sitting on the coffee table in front of her. She dropped her head into her hands as more tears fell from her face. The door slowly creeped open and she heard Waverly’s voice echo through the room. “Nicole?” She asked, softly. Nicole glanced up at the brunette.

Waverly made her way across the room and sat next to Nicole on the couch. Waverly reached her hand out to take Nicole’s in her own. She leaned in the corner of the couch, gesturing for Nicole to lean back so she could wrap her arms around the redhead’s body. Nicole obliged and Waverly enveloped her in her arms. They sat in silence for a moment before Nicole spoke. “Thanks,” she said quietly.

“I got you,” Waverly told her, pulling her a little tighter.

“I assume you talked to your sister,” Nicole said.

“I did,” Waverly told her. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I am,” Nicole said, sitting up on the couch. “We found what the key was to,” she told her as she reached over to the coffee table and handed Waverly the letter. “You can read it.”

“Are you sure?” Waverly asked, not wanting to cross any boundaries. Nicole nodded and sat quietly next to Waverly as the brunette read the letter in silence. “Wow,” was all Waverly could say when she was done reading. “How are you feeling about it?”

“It’s sinking in,” Nicole said. “It’s amazing how much he knew me,” she laughed slightly. “It’s just weird, it’s like he’s back here again, you know?”

Waverly nodded back at Nicole.

“I miss him,” Nicole said softly.

“I know, baby,” Waverly said, placing her hand on Nicole’s thigh.

Nicole leaned back into Waverly, turning her head to see her face. She pushed up, laying a kiss on Waverly’s lips. “Thank you for coming,” she said. “Are you still working?”

“I may have taken the rest of the day off,” Waverly smiled. “Using those perks again,” she laughed.

“You’re going to get fired,” Nicole joked, winking at the brunette.

“Worth it,” Waverly teased.

“So I get you for the rest of the day?” Nicole smiled.

Waverly nodded. “You can have me until you get sick of me.”

“Oh man,” Nicole laughed. “I’m not sure that could ever happen.”

“Guess you’re stuck with me,” Waverly laughed.

“Do you want to go get lunch with me?” Nicole asked the brunette, standing up from the couch. She picked up the book from the table and tucked the letter in it. Waverly nodded and followed suit, standing up with Nicole.

 

 

Waverly headed back to her house to change and Nicole went back to her suite to bring drop off the book and letter. When she arrived at her family’s suite, no one was there. She opened her suitcase and tucked the items inside, closing it when it was safe inside. She stopped quickly in the bathroom to splash water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing that her eyes were still a little swollen from crying. “Thanks, dad,” she said out loud. She sighed and made her way back out into the fresh air to meet up with Waverly.

On her walk back to Waverly, she noticed Doc walking with Mr. Hardy. She was curious as to why he was spending so much time with the other man, wondering if anyone else thought that match up was weird. She didn’t really know Doc well, unsure if Mr. Hardy was someone he was familiar with from working at the resort. She noticed the two men entered the main cabin that the party had been in the night before. Nicole looked around quickly, noticing no one else was around and she ducked quickly into the building to see if she could figure out what they were up to.

“You think she’s really just going to take the deal?” Mr. Hardy’s voice echoed through the hall. Nicole ducked back in one of the door ways. She couldn’t see the men but she was able to hear them clearly from her location.

“Well she needs needs cash right?” Doc said. “I’m not sure how else this is going to work.”

“Well you’ve been here long enough, Holliday,” Mr. Hardy spat. “You should have had this done by now!”

“My job was to win over the family,” Doc argued. “You didn’t say take the land.”

Wait, what? Doc was working with Mr. Hardy? For what? Take the land? Nicole suddenly felt thousands of questions flowing through her head. She tried to push them to the side to concentrate on what the men were saying.

“Well you knew that was the goal,” Mr. Hardy huffed. “Del Ray’s going to be pissed if he gets out of jail and doesn’t have what he came for!”

“You really think he’s getting out?” Doc asked, unsure if this was even all worth it.

“Well, if you did your job and cleared his name!” the older man huffed.

“What if he’s not innocent?” Doc finally asked.

“That’s not the point, Holliday,” he sighed. “The point is, you have a job and you do it.”

“You want me to pin this on these innocent people?” Doc ask, shaking his head. “Ward’s dead, Hardy. We can’t really get revenge on him anymore!” he argued.

“That’s why we get revenge on the rest of them,” Mr. Hardy reminded him.

“Sure, two innocent girls and they’re aunt?” Doc asked.

“You’re not getting soft on me are you, Holliday?” Mr. Hardy barked.

“No sir,” Doc sighed.

“That’s what I thought. You’re here for a reason, Henry. Let’s not get that twisted,” he warned.

Nicole’s eyes widened when she realized the pair had turned in the direction she was in. She quickly ducked back into a different room, realizing she was in the kitchen of the cabin. She bumped slightly into a kitchen cart, the wheels squeaking with the movement. The redhead cringed slightly, hoping the two men wouldn’t hear her. She heard footsteps quickly move down the hallway and the back door slammed shut. She let out a small sigh of relief as she turned back toward the doorway of the kitchen.

“Nicole?” Doc asked, confused as to why the redhead was there.

“Doc!” Nicole said quickly, trying to play it cool. “Hey, have you seen Waverly?” she asked.

“No,” he said, looking around him.

“Oh, okay! Maybe she’s at home,” she sighed. “I just stopped in thinking she might still be here cleaning from last night.”

“Right,” Doc said, unsure if Nicole had heard any of his previous conversation. Nicole nodded and smiled as she made her way out of the cabin in search of Waverly.

 

 

It didn’t take long for her to run into the brunette once she was outside. “Can we go somewhere?” Nicole said, pulling on Waverly’s arm. She appeared frantic, immediately confusing Waverly.

“I thought we were getting food?” She asked, confused. Nicole didn’t speak, she continued to lead Waverly back in the direction she came from. She marched through the door of Waverly’s home and up to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them. “Is this a booty call?” Waverly joked, squinting her eyes slightly at Nicole.

“I just overheard Doc talking with Mr. Hardy,” Nicole started, slightly out of breath. “They sound like they’re part of some gang and they want to buy the resort from Gus,” she continued.

“Nicole, slow down.” Nicole plopped down on the bed and Waverly placed her hands on the redhead’s shoulders. “I need to get Wynonna,” Waverly told her.

“And someone can explain to me what the hell is going on?” Nicole asked.

Waverly nodded and slipped out of the room momentarily. She knocked on her sister’s bedroom door and quickly opened the door. “Damn babygirl,” Wynonna huffed. “What if i was naked?”

“You think I care?” Waverly rolled her eyes.

“True,” Wynonna laughed. “What if he was?” She asked, gesturing at Dolls, who was sitting in a chair in her room.

“Gross,” Waverly huffed.

“Wow,” he said quickly.

“No offense,” Waverly said apologetically. “Look, I need to talk to you, Wynonna.”

“About?” Wynonna asked, looking for more details.

“Something I can’t say in here,” Waverly said, skeptically. She glanced over and Dolls and back at Wynonna.

Wynonna looked at Dolls, then back at her sister. “You can say it.”

Waverly sighed and nodded at her sister. “Nicole overheard some things that I feel you need to know about.”

“Spit it out Waverly!” Wynonna didn’t mean to yell at her little sister but she wasn’t looking for anyone to best around the bush with this kind of information, anything that could help them.

“Can I have her tell you?” Waverly asked. “I don’t have all of the information and she’s really confused right now.”

Wynonna and Dolls nod and Waverly quickly slipped out of the room. She returns moments later with a confused and somewhat frightened looking Nicole. Nicole explained what she overheard in the other cabin. She still isn’t fully sure what is going on. She explained what her mom had told her about the night that they had dinner together.

Waverly explained why she hadn’t told Nicole any details that she had known. That she was protecting her sister and that she gave her her word. Nicole was understanding of the situation but still skeptical of what was going on with Doc.

There was a knock at the door and the group all looked at each other. “I’ll get it,” Dolls said, standing up.

“Let me,” Wynonna said, walking past the group of people who have now congregated in her room. She descended quickly down the stairs, pulling the door open quickly to see Doc about to knock once more. “Look who made an appearance,” she rolled her eyes at the man in the cowboy hat.

“Sorry, I’ve been a little distant lately,” Doc apologized right away.

“That’s fine, I’ve been otherwise preoccupied,” Wynonna said, blowing off his apology.

“What does that mean?” Doc asked as he entered the house. Wynonna closed the door behind him.

“You know I like to fill my spare time, Henry,” Wynonna smirked.

“So we’re off again? I can’t keep doing this, Wynonna,” Doc sighed.

“Doing what?” Wynonna asked.

“You know what,” Doc told her. “This thing with Xavier. You tell me it’s nothing. But you two spend an awful lot of time together.”

“You know we’re best friends,” she answered, looking away from him.

“Are you sleeping with him?” Doc asked her.

“Do you suddenly want to care again?” Wynonna spat.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Doc asked.

“I don’t know Doc, you say you want to be with me and then you get all weird and distant,” Wynonna told him.

“That’s just how I operate, Wynonna,” Doc laughed slightly, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Well lately you’ve been spending an awful lot of time up me Hardy’s ass lately. Are you sleeping with him?” Wynonna quickly questioned.

“We’ve discussing business opportunities,” he responded, ignoring her accusations.

“Sure, Doc,” Wynonna said, unconvinced.

“I heard you two,” Nicole’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

“You might want to stay out of this, Nicole,” Doc warned, turning around to see the redhead.

“I heard you talking about buying the place,” Nicole continued. “Taking the property and getting revenge for Bobo Del Ray.”

“Mr. Hardy just wants to be an investor,” Doc told her. “To help Gus keep the place afloat.”

“No he doesn’t. He wants to buy the place and sell it. And somehow Doc is involved,” Nicole said, descending down the stairs toward the pair. Waverly reached out to stop her, but she continued walking. Dolls followed closely behind her, putting his hand out to tell Waverly to stay at the top.

“You need to start talking, Holliday,” Dolls said, calmly, as he made his way over to Wynonna. He directed Nicole to walk behind him and stand with Wynonna.

“Guys, look,” Doc started.

“Henry, have you really been working for Bobo this whole time?” Wynonna asked. Suddenly hurt by the confirmation of something she already knew was true deep down. “You used me.

“Wynonna, that’s not exactly…” Doc started.

“Then what is it?” Wynonna quickly cut him off, not wanting to hear his excuses.

“That might have been why I came here in the first place,” Doc explained. “But I can assure you, that is not why I stayed.”

“Oh, don’t feed me that bullshit, Henry,” Wynonna huffed.

“It’s true. I’ve been trying to find ways out of this for a while. I figured if I play the game with Hardy, they wouldn’t be suspicious. You can’t just back out of a gang, that’s not really how it works,” Doc informed her.

Wynonna stared back at the man for a moment. She looked into the softness in his eye. This was someone she had known for a while now and despite the new information that she was learning about why he was there, he was someone that she trusted. She let out a sigh before she spoke. “So say we want to help you,” she started.

“Wynonna, no!” Dolls yelled. “How are we going to trust him?”

“If we wanted to help you,” Wynonna continued, ignoring Dolls. “How do we know you’re not going to turn your back on us?”

“Look, they brought in Mr. Hardy because I’m not working fast enough. They know Gus thought about selling and they don’t want to lose the opportunity. Bobo wants the land,” Doc explained.  

“But why?” Nicole asked.

“Because he’s pissed off at your fathers,” Doc told her. “He feels that they let him down when they were kids. He thinks they let him follow the path that he did and didn’t fight hard enough for him to stop.”

“But they’re gone now,” Wynonna said. Nicole dropped her head to the floor. Dolls placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.  

“Yes and he now thinks it should be his,” Doc told them.

“He didn’t buy it with them,” Wynonna told him. “This land has nothing to do with him.”  

“But he was supposed to,” he told them.

“Then why didn’t he?” Nicole asked.

“He was already too over his head with the gang by then. The gang was all he had. He felt betrayed, left behind,” Doc explained. “So now he thinks he can get revenge.”

“So he thinks he needs revenge on us now?” Wynonna asked.

“You’re your father’s kin,” Doc said, matter of factly. “It’s his way of still somehow getting to them.”

“So he’s just going to keep coming at us, for what?” Wynonna asked.

“The land.”

“And how do we stop that?” Nicole asked.

“We expose them. Mr Hardy isn’t interested in helping Bobo. Bobo is in jail. He wants the land for himself because he’s convinced there’s some fortune involved. But if the cops find out he’s working with Bobo, he can be shut down. But Gus can’t sell,” Doc told them.

“So we should just take your word on all of this?” Dolls finally spoke up.

“Well, I could be killed for telling you all of this,” Doc let out a small chuckle at the realization. “So yeah.”

“So what do we do from here?” Waverly asked. She had made her way down the stairs despite directions from Dolls. She was now standing over next to Nicole, holding her hand low against her thigh.

“We start by Doc shutting his mouth and acting like none of this conversation just happened,” Dolls said, warning the other man. Doc nodded his head. “Mr. Hardy doesn’t know you overheard anything does he?” Dolls asked Nicole.

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“No, he left,” Doc told them.

“Okay,” Dolls said. “You guys are good to go.” He excused the pair. The stared back at him momentarily. Wynonna nodded at them, letting them know it would be okay. They were still skeptical, but left the house, allowing the rest to take care of what they needed to do.

Once outside, Waverly let out a breath that she had been holding in. “Are you okay?” Nicole asked.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Waverly said.

“Do you still want to get food?” Nicole asked. Waverly turned to the redhead, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s core, burying her face into her chest. Nicole naturally wrapped her arms around Waverly, pulling her close to her body. She felt the brunette’s body start to shake and she wrapped her arms tighter. “I got you,” Nicole whispered.

Waverly continued to cry into Nicole’s chest for a moment, then pulled her head away, wiping her face with her hand. “Sorry,” she apologized.

“Don’t apologize, baby,” Nicole said, softly. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.” Waverly sighed, pushing her head back into the redhead’s chest. They stayed in that position momentarily before Waverly pulled away and decided it was time to get food. They didn’t spend much time talking about what happened earlier in the day. They decided together they wanted to try not to think too much into it before they knew more details about what was going to happen. When they returned back to the resort that even, Waverly asked Nicole if she wanted to get in the hot tub with her. Nicole smiled and agreed right away.

 

 

After climbing in the hot tub, Nicole was turned to the side, taking in the view of the mountains. The sun was setting over the mountains and Nicole’s eyes lit up at the view. She thought about how comforting she found this area to be. After growing up in the city, it was nice to have a newfound appreciation for nature. Waverly watched Nicole, smiling at the redhead who was in awe by the views of the sunset.

“Nicole?” She asked. Nicole turned toward her and gave Waverly her full attention. “What’s going to happen when you go home next week?”

“What do you mean?” Nicole asked.

“Like with us,” Waverly said in a tone like Nicole was suddenly making her shy. She looked down toward to water and Nicole slid in front of her.

“Well, I’m going to miss the shit out of you,” Nicole smiled.

“I’m serious, Nicole!” Waverly laughed, playfully splashing her with water.

“So am I! I don’t want to be without you Waves. I’ll be back though,” Nicole assured her.

“I know…”

“Hey, listen,” Nicole started, placing her hands on Waverly’s thighs, bringing her body closer to the brunette’s. “I’ve been thinking a lot about this too. I think it’s something we can make work, if that’s what you want too.”

“Of course I do,” Waverly smiled.

“Okay so how about this? We keep going how we’re going while I’m here..”

“And then you don’t leave?” Waverly said, quickly.

“I wish, babe,” Nicole smiled. “Do you think maybe you’d be able to get time off to come visit me?”

“You want me to come visit?” Waverly smiled.

“Well, yeah! Maybe I’d like to show my girlfriend off around the city,” Nicole said.

Waverly’s eyes widened and a smile formed on her face. Nicole quickly realize that the word slipped so easily out of her mouth without having a real discussion about it first. Should she have asked first? She felt like they had already crossed quickly over the line of just being friends, making the next step girlfriends, right? This wasn’t something Nicole did often. She wasn’t sure if she had to explain her level of commitment to Waverly or if she was doing enough to show it.

“I, uh,” Nicole stuttered.

“I’d love that,” Waverly quickly said, understanding that Nicole wasn’t sure what to say after the word slipped out of her mouth.

Nicole smiled back at Waverly. “Sorry, I…”

“Don’t be,” Waverly responded, showing Nicole that she didn’t mind the title she gave her.

“I just want you to know that you’re enough for me, Waverly Earp. I'm not going to go back home and suddenly have everything change for me. I want you when I’m here, I’ll want you when I’m there. So as long as you want me, I’ll be yours,” Nicole told her.

A smile grew across Waverly’s face. She wrapped her arms around the redhead’s waist tightly. “Baby,” she looked up to see Nicole’s face.

“What?” Nicole smiled.

“Are you trying to make it worse for when you leave? Now I’ll miss you more,” Waverly whined.

“No,” Nicole smiled a dimpled smile at Waverly. “But hey, we still have some time that I’m still here, so let’s not think too much into it.”

“We still have a lot of time,” Waverly smiled, kissing Nicole’s neck.

“Mm,” Nicole sighed at the sensation of Waverly’s lips on her skin.

“Also, your birthday is coming too,” Waverly smiled.

“Ugh, no,” Nicole whined, throwing her head back dramatically.

“What?” Waverly laughed.

“I don’t do birthdays,” Nicole told her.

“You don’t do birthdays?” Waverly was slightly confused, but laughed softly at the redhead.

“I don’t like to celebrate,” Nicole told her.

“What is your family planning?” Waverly asked.

“Who knows. I know they wanted to do something,” Nicole said. “Dad normally was into the birthday thing,” she sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly said, softly. “What if we do something low key?” She asked.

“Whatever you want to do,” Nicole shrugged.

“But it’s not my birthday, silly,” Waverly laughed.  

“I could do this and I’d have a happy birthday,” Nicole laughed, gesturing to the pair in the hot tub.

“What about some of this?” Waverly kissed her lightly on the lips, causing Nicole to close her eyes and smile.

“Mmhmm.”

“Or this?” The brunette started to lay kisses on Nicole’s neck and down her collarbone

“Mm.” Nicole’s eyes open to see the brunette’s body closer to hers.

“Close your eyes,” Waverly whispered against her ear sending a shiver down her spine. She laid a soft kiss again the side of Nicole’s mouth.

“How about this?” Waverly’s fingers danced across Nicole’s chest. Nicole nodded trying to steady her breathing Waverly slid her hand down the redhead’s abs against her bare skin she pressed her hand firmly between Nicole’s legs over her shorts causing her to slightly lift her hand into the touch. “And that?” Waverly grins, kissing Nicole on the neck again. Nicole opened her eyes and shut them again quickly as she connected her lips with Waverly's.

“That’s just a preview,” Waverly told her. Nicole smiled back at her and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. Nicole grinned back at the brunette who was now sitting in her lap. She found herself caught up in Waverly's eyes, not realizing how long she had been sitting there silently.

Nicole’s eyes squint slightly causing Waverly to almost do the same. “What?” she asked, wondering what the look was for.

“I love you,” Nicole said softly. The words fell out of her mouth almost as if they made a small splash in the water. At the same time, they felt so natural as if she had been telling her that she loved her for years. She took a moment before she let the breath out that she had been holding, realizing that she did actually say the words out loud at this time and not just in her head like she had been doing for the last few days.

Waverly was quiet for a moment, causing Nicole to grow nervous. She thought Waverly noticed her nerves because she quickly pulled Nicole in for a kiss. The kiss deepened, their tongues brushed lightly against one another. Waverly pushed her body closer to Nicole’s as if she couldn’t get close enough. She was now sitting with her legs spread, feet on either side of the redhead’s legs. Her body flush up against Nicole’s.

Waverly reached her hand up, running her fingers through Nicole’s hair with her hand on the back of her head. They continued to kiss until they needed to separate from almost losing their breath. “I love you too.” Waverly grinned at Nicole, face still so close that Nicole could feel her breath through her words. She pressed her forehead against the redhead’s. Closing her eyes, she steadied her breath to a normal pace.


	12. Chapter 12

The sun shone through the window into Nicole’s face and she groaned in annoyance. She quickly climbed out of bed and shut the curtains, returning quickly to the warmth of Waverly’s  body under the blankets.

“You’re a vampire,” Waverly groaned, wrapping herself further around Nicole.

“I just like sleep, Nicole huffed.

“Man baby, you’re going to have to become more cheery in the morning or I’m going to make you go back to sleeping on the top bunk,” Waverly laughed. “You’re killing my vibe.”

Nicole grinned with her eyes still closed. “Your vibe, huh?” She laughed. “I’m only grumpy when I’m woken up suddenly to sunshine in my eyes,” she huffed.

“I know that’s not true,” Waverly laughed. “Do they not have sunshine in the city? I’m not coming if that’s the case!” She joked.

Nicole opened her eyes and turned her head to face Waverly. She rolled her body to the side so she was fully facing her. “Oh, you’re coming,” she laughed. Nicole lifted her body off the bed and hovered over Waverly’s body.

“Am I?” Waverly grinned.

“Mmhmm,” Nicole smiled. “And then you can come again and again and again,” she teased, whispering closely into Waverly’s ear. She then started to lay soft kisses on Waverly’s neck.

“Okay, this Nicole in the morning is much better than grumpy Nicole,” Waverly laughed.

Nicole laughed into Waverly’s neck as she continued placing kisses on her skin. “This does help make my morning a little better,” she said, hovering back over Waverly’s body so she could see her face.

“Me or morning sex?” Waverly asked, smirking at the redhead.

“Do I have to choose just one?” Nicole whined.

“Well, it’s kind of a package deal,” Waverly smiled. “I mean, I hope,” she laughed.

Nicole let our a small laugh and plopped down on the bed next to Waverly. “I don’t want you to think it’s an obligation, Waves,” she started. “That’s definitely not what it’s about for me.”

“I know, Nicole,” Waverly rolled over into her side, resting her hand on Nicole’s lower abdomen. “That’s not how it is for me either. But I can’t help myself.” She started to gently run her fingers across Nicole’s skin, just above the waistband on her pants.

“You’re the first person to make me feel this way,” Nicole admitted. A smile grew across Waverly’s face. “But I just need you to know, it’s not just sex for me. And that’s totally new to me.”

Something about that sudden confession made Waverly slide her arms up and wrap them tighter around Nicole’s torso. It meant a lot to her that Nicole was breaking down her tough exterior with her and she knew that it made the redhead feel vulnerable doing so. “Thank you,” Waverly said in almost a whisper.

“For what?” Nicole asked, glancing down at Waverly, who was now laying with her head on Nicole’s chest.

“For being open with me,” Waverly smiled. “It’s not wasted on me.”

“I know, baby,” Nicole smiled. She leaned her head down, placing a kiss on the top of Waverly’s head.

“So are you still telling your mom about what you found today?” Waverly asked.

“Yeah, I’m not sure if she knows they exist,” Nicole told her. “Do you think it’s a little weird?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve never had anyone hand me money like that before,” Nicole laughed at the words coming out of her mouth as if it’s an everyday thing to suddenly have a bunch of money that you have no idea what to do with.

“Do you know what you want to do with it?” Waverly asked.

“Not yet, I still haven’t wrapped my head around it,” Nicole sighed.

“Well, I don’t want to influence you in any way, but you could definitely go to the police academy with that,” Waverly said.

“I know,” Nicole sighed.

“What’s wrong? I thought your mom was in support of it,” Waverly asked, confused.

“Oh she is, I’m just not sure what I want to do. What if it’s too late to make big life decisions?” Nicole groaned.

“Nicole, you’re going to be 24 not 84,” Waverly let out a laugh.  

“I just feel like I missed my shot sometimes,” Nicole sighed. She rubbed her face with her hands.

“Nicole,” Waverly started. She sat up in the bed and leaned her back up against the headboard. Nicole looked up at Waverly, bracing herself for a lecture. “How do I put this?” Waverly asked.

Nicole groaned and rolled over, hiding her face in Waverly’s lap. “I knowwww,” she whined.

“Babe,” Waverly said softly, gently rubbing Nicole’s back with her hand. The redhead slowly rolled over, revealing her face for Waverly to see her. “I’m not going to lecture you,” Waverly said softly. “But I do want you to really think about it.”

“I know,” Nicole said softly.

“Can you do me a favor?” Waverly asked. Nicole nodded at the brunette. “Can you at least think about what you truly want? You don’t have to decide what that is right now, but do what you want. Not what anyone else wants,” she told her. “Not me, not your family, you.”

Nicole smiled at Waverly and nodded. “I will,” she said.

“Promise?” Waverly smiled at Nicole.

“Promise,” Nicole said softly, almost in a whisper. Nicole pushed up on the bed and straddled Waverly’s legs, placing her knees on either side of the brunette’s legs. With one finger, she lifted Waverly’s chin to an angle that she could comfortably connect her lips to the brunette’s. The kiss was soft and sweet. Waverly smiled into the kiss. “Thank you,” Nicole whispered as they slowly pulled apart.

  
  


“Hey mom, can we talk?” Nicole asked as she shut the door of the suite behind her. Waverly has offered to go with her, but she decided to have this discussion with her mom alone. She had been thinking a lot about future decisions she would have to make with her life and deep down inside of her, she really wanted her mom’s opinion.

“Sure, sweetie,” Andrea smiled.

“What did you do? Get Waverly pregnant?” Daniel joked.

“Alone?” Nicole asked, glancing over at her brother who was staring at the tv.

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Daniel threw his hands up in the air and joined his twin sister on the balcony.

“What’s up, Nicky?” Andrea asked, sitting down on the couch. Nicole ducked quickly into her room to grab the letter from her father. She returned to the living room and sat down next to her mom on the couch.

“So I found out where the key went to,” Nicole started. “Dad left some accounts in our names in a safe in the cabin with wards old office in it.”

Andrea looked confused at first then realized what she was talking about.

“Did you know he left them?” Nicole asked.

“He talked about it,” Andrea told her. “It was something he wanted to do to make sure you guys would be okay. But he wanted it to come from him.”

“He left a note if you want to see it,” Nicole told her, holding the envelope out to her mother.

“Oh that’s for you, Nicky, you don’t have to,” Andrea told her. She didn’t want her to feel obligated to share something that was so precious to her.

“It’s in his handwriting,” Nicole smiled, softly.

“So it was hard to read?” Andrea laughed.

Nicole broke out into laughter, tears forming in her eyes again. She handed the letter to her mother, who immediately started to scan the words. Tears formed in her eyes as well and she smiled as she read his words. “You know what he always used to tell me?” Andrea finally spoke.

“What?” Nicole looked back at her mother.

“That you kids were his biggest accomplishment in life,” Andrea smiled back at her oldest daughter.

Nicole smiled back at her mother, more tears forming in her eyes. She leaned back on the couch and let tears fall from her eyes. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He was something,” she smiled.

“You’re just like him,”Andrea to her.

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” she laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. “That might be my biggest accomplishment,” she laughed.

“You have your whole life ahead of you, Nicole,” Andrea told her.

“I know,” Nicole sighed. “But what happens if I keep wasting my time doing things and decide it’s not for me?” Nicole asked.

“Then you learn from it and you move on, sweetheart,” Andrea told her. “You’re never going to know unless you try.”

“You know, it would just be easier if someone told me exactly what I should do,” Nicole sighed, laughing slightly.

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Andrea laughed.

“You sound like Waverly,” Nicole laughed. She knew they were both right, but that didn’t mean that was what she wanted to hear.

“She’s a smart girl,” Andrea laughed.

“She’s really great,” Nicole smiled at the thought of the brunette. “She’s actually the best.”

Andrea smiled back at her daughter. “I’m glad you’ve found something for you, baby,” she told her. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole smiled. Andrea stood up from the couch and walked around to the other side, placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. She leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“Where is Waverly today?” Andrea asked.

“She’s around,” Nicole told her. “I told her I needed to talk to you so she didn’t want to intrude.”

“Well, you know you can bring her over here anytime,” Andrea told her.

“Well, she kind of owns the place,” Nicole laughed. “But thanks, mom.”

“If you’re free tonight, I told Gus we’d come over for family dinner again tonight,” Andrea told her.

“Sounds good,” Nicole smiled. “The twins can come back now if they want,” she laughed, gesturing over her shoulder.   
  


 

Nicole spent most of the day on her own that day. She had been thinking a lot about the money that her dad left her and the fact that she could actually do something that she always wanted to do with her life. The problem was, she wasn’t exactly sure what that was. Sure, she wanted to go to the police academy, but she continued to doubt her ability to finish anything at this point after the way her attempt at college ended.

She decided to go for a run around the resort property. Something she had done several times at home whenever she needed to clear her head or just get some time to herself. She pulled a sweatshirt over her head and popped earbuds into her ears, making her way outside into the fresh air.

She ran around the property for a while, surprised at how familiar with the area she had become over the last week. Even if she hadn’t been there in years before that, she found herself extremely comfortable exploring the area alone. She ran up to the bench on the property that she had spent time on with her dad, near the tree and she and Waverly had carved their initials into it. Plopping down on the cold wood, she started to feel the burn of her legs from running for the first time in weeks.

“Do you spend all your time on this bench?” Nicole heard a voice come through at the change of her song. She turned to the side to see Rosita taking a seat next to her on the bench.

“Rosita, hey,” she said softly, taking her earbuds out of her ears.

“Hey, I wanted to apologize for Champ the other night,” Rosita said, softly. Nicole could sense her being genuine, but really was uninterested in discussing Champ Hardy.

“It’s fine, really,” Nicole told her.

“He’s a dick,” Rosita huffed.

Nicole laughed Rosita’s confession. “Well that’s not new,” she told her.

Rosita laughed. “He does has his sweet moments.”

“Champ Hardy?” Nicole didn’t ever think ‘Champ’ and ‘sweet’ would be something she ever heard in the same sentence.

“Sometimes people can surprise you,” Rosita shrugged.

“I guess,” Nicole laughed.

“So you and Waverly, huh?” Rosita asked.

Nicole smiled and nodded. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to Rosita, but it’s not really anything they’ve done in the past. Anything between them was more just physical and that was it.

“Speak of the devil,” Rosita said, looking up to see Waverly making her way toward the pair.

Nicole looked up and made eye contact with the brunette that was walking toward her. A smile immediately grew across her face. She could feel her heart in chest beating, something that happened often when Waverly was around. Waverly smiled back at the redhead when she could see her face.

“Hey there,” Waverly smiled, placing her hands on Nicole’s shoulders. Nicole melted under the brunette’s touch.

“Hey,” she said, softly.

“Hey, Rosita,” Waverly said, politely.

“Hey,” Rosita smiled. “I was just apologizing to your girlfriend,” she told her.

“Apologizing?” Waverly asked, pressing her fingers a little further into Nicole’s shoulders. A protectiveness came over her like she needed to come off as more intimidating for some reason.

“For Champ,” Rosita said, softly.

“Rosita,” Waverly sighed. “There’s not enough apologies in the world for him.”

“That’s fair,” Rosita sighed. “But I thought it was important.”

“I appreciate that,” Nicole smiled. “Hey, Rosita, we’re going to get going,” she told her. “Thanks again for the apology.”

“Of course,” Rosita said, softly. Nicole stood up from the bench and walked around to Waverly’s side. She reached down, grabbing the brunette’s hand in her own.

“I missed you today,” Waverly told her as they started to walk down the road together.

“Sorry, baby,” Nicole said, apologetically. “I was out for a run, clearing my head.”

“Is everything okay?” Waverly looked up at Nicole as they continued to walk.

“Yeah,” Nicole sighed. She didn’t want Waverly to be worried about her, but she wanted her to know that when she had a lot on her mind she just liked to be alone. “I just had a lot on my mind.”

“How did talking to your mom go?” Waverly asked.

“Pretty much the same as talking to you,” she laughed. “She wants me to figure out what I want on my own. Do what’s best for me. Blah blah blah,” she said in a mocking tone, followed by a laugh.

“She’s a smart woman,” Waverly laughed.

“She said the same about you,” Nicole told her.  

“Extra smart then,” she grinned. “So where exactly are we headed?” Waverly finally asked after just taking the redhead’s lead and following her across the property.

“I need to shower,”  Nicole said, pretending to smell herself.

“So your place?” Waverly asked.

“Do you want to come hang out while I shower?” Nicole asked. “I’m not sure if you had plans, I just kind of whisked you away,” she laughed.

“Oh I was just looking for you, so I found what I needed,” Waverly laughed.

“So you’re cool with coming over?” Nicole asked.

“I’d love to,” Waverly smiled. The pair continued their walk across the resort property, hand in hand. Nicole unlocked the door to her family’s suite to see where siblings sitting on the couch, playing a video game on the TV.

“You’re cheating!” Daniel called out at his sister. He stood up, moving closer to the TV, looking frustrated.

“I am not! You just suck!” Megan taunted her brother.

Nicole and Waverly laughed at the slight chaos that was happening in the living room. “What’s happening?” Nicole asked, shutting the suite door behind them.

“Megan chests at NBA street!” Daniel huffed.

“I do not!” She laughed.

“Can I call winner?” Waverly asked, sitting down on the couch next to Megan. Daniel’s eyes widened at the offer and he agreed right away.

“Did I just get ditched for a video game?” Nicole asked.

“You need to shower!” Waverly laughed.

“Fine!” Nicole huffed, turning to go toward the bathroom.

“Wait!” Waverly called out. Nicole immediately spun on her heels, turning around to see the brunette gesturing her to come over to her with one finger. Nicole smiled and walked over to where Waverly was sitting on the couch. Waverly pulled the front of her hoodie to bring Nicole’s lips to hers, giving her a quick kiss before pushing her back in the direction of the bathroom. Nicole smiled back at Waverly and turned to go take a shower.

Nicole was about to shut the bathroom room, but not before peering out into the living room one last time to observe Waverly playing video games with her younger siblings. She playfully nudged Daniel, taking the controller from him, challenging Megan to the next game. Nicole smiled at the sight and closed the bathroom door.

 

 

After her shower, Nicole exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. Her siblings didn’t even notice when she quickly shuffled by and into the bedroom, closing the door quickly behind her. Waverly, however, had glanced up as soon as Nicole left the bathroom, her eyes following the redhead the entire way until she saw the door close shut. She quickly looked back toward the video game when she heard the door click shut.

Waverly had given the controller back to Daniel to play another game against his sister. She sat in the corner of the couch, watching the twins play against each other, taunting each other throughout the game making Waverly laugh. She quickly picked up her phone and sent Nicole a text about watching her walk across the room in a towel, asking if that show was for her.

Nicole laughed when she picked up her phone and saw her text, responding with an offer of giving her a real show later, followed by a winking emoji. Waverly responded quickly, asking for a show right then. Nicole laughed and took a picture of herself in the towel, sending it to Waverly.

Out in the living room, Waverly shifted on the couch, turning her phone to make sure no one else could see the picture when she opened it. Waverly grinned at her phone and quickly locked the screen. Nicole emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later. Waverly looked up at her and smiled, shaking her head at the redhead.

“Did you not like that show?” Nicole asked Waverly as they left the suite, heading over to Waverly’s  house before dinner with their families.

“Oh I liked it. Maybe if we were outside with a bunch of people in pure daylight..” Waverly trialed off.

“Then what?” Nicole smirked.

“I can show you when we get home,” she teased.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” Nicole warned her.

“I don’t need a lot of time,” Waverly told her, squeezing  Nicole’s hand a little tighter, leading her toward her house.

Nicole’s eyes widened slightly and she smiled down at the brunette. When she first started becoming more physical with Waverly she was afraid to cross boundaries or come on too strong, worried she would scare Waverly off somehow. But as time went on, she didn’t think that was really possible. Waverly was always pretty upfront with her needs and desires and it was definitely something Nicole liked about her.

When they made it to the house, they wasted no time before they ran up the stairs and into Waverly’s bedroom. Waverly shut the door quickly behind them before connecting her lips with Nicole’s. Waverly gently pushed Nicole up against the door, hands starting to slide up the redhead’s shirt. There was the sound of a cough behind them and they jumped, pulling the kiss apart and turning around.

“What the hell, Wynonna?!” Waverly yelled.

“I didn’t know when you’d be back,” Wynonna told her.

“So you waited in my bedroom?” Waverly asked, still annoyed. “How often do you just sit in here, waiting for me?”

“How often do you sneak in here right before dinner to do it?” Wynonna asked with a smirk. “Actually, don’t answer that,” she laughed after thinking about what she had just asked.

“Did you need something?” Waverly asked. Finally removing her hands from Nicole’s body and stepping further away from her.

“The guys are here, I figured we could talk before dinner,” Wynonna said.

“Where are they?” Waverly asked.

“They’re in my room, they didn’t want to intrude on you in your bedroom,” Wynonna shrugged.

“What a concept,” Waverly huffed. “We’ll meet you in your room in a few minutes.”

“But-” Wynonna protested.

“Wynonna-” her younger sister warned.

“Fine!” Wynonna huffed, throwing her hands dramatically into the air. “You’re no fun!” She whined on her way out of the room.

“Sorry,” Waverly said, apologetically when the door was fully shut behind her sister. She placed her hands on Nicole’s hips, pulling her closer to her body.

“It’s okay,” Nicole smiled. She placed her forehead against Waverly’s. “Should we go see what they want?”

Waverly groaned, causing Nicole to laugh. “Maybe we can sneak off a little early after dinner,” she winked at the brunette.

“Deal,” Waverly winked, kissing Nicole on the nose before she pulled away from the redhead. They left her room in search of Wynonna. Her door was closed and Waverly knocked once before opening the door, closing it behind them after they entered.

“Okay, what’s so important?” Waverly huffed, still frustrated with her sister.

“What’s up with her?” Doc whispered to Wynonna, loudly enough for Waverly to hear.

“Oh, she’s mad that I-” Wynonna started.

“Wynonna!” Waverly yelled, cutting her sister off. Nicole laughed softly to herself and Wynonna teasing her sister. Waverly glared at her and she immediately stopped laughing, giving the brunette an apologetic look.

“Okay, so Gus is supposed to be meeting with Mr. Hardy tomorrow,” Doc explained. “They’re going over numbers and he’s going to offer her a pretty penny to just sell, rather than making him an investor.”

“Okay, so what do we do?” Waverly asked.

“Well, she’s not going to make any sale without discussing it without us first,” Wynonna told her.

“Is he going to threaten her?” Waverly asked, worried about putting her aunt in that position without warning her first.

“I don’t think he’d do that, not yet at least,” Doc told them. “He wants to place the idea in her head first.”

“So we tell her not to sell?” Waverly asked.

“Yes, but I feel like we need more of a plan. We can’t just ask her not to sell and magically be able to save the future of the resort,” Wynonna explained.

“Why can’t we just tell her?” Waverly asked.

“Ummm this whole undercover thing works best with less people involved,” Dolls chimed in. “There’s already too many people involved,” he huffed.

“Okay, settle down there, Xavier,” Wynonna said, putting her hand out, pretending to hold him back.

So we can’t just arrest him and call it a day?” Waverly asked, beginning to pace the room.

“Gangs don’t normally just stop when one person is arrested,” Dolls told her.

“Honestly, I’m not sure that the gang is that invested,” Doc laughed a little. “It’s more Mr. Hardy thinking he’s got a bunch of backers. They’re not as loyal to him as they were to Bobo,” he told them.

“So we get rid of Hardy, we get rid of the rest?” Wynonna asked.

“That’s the plan,” Dolls nodded. “But we need to stop Gus from selling to him if that’s what it comes down to.”

“Okay,” so how much money do we need to come up with?” Waverly asked.

“More than we have, babygirl,” Wynonna sighed.

“What about other investors?” Nicole suggested. There was a knock at the door and it swung open, causing the group to become silent.

“What’s going on in here?” Gus asked, looking around the room at everyone that was in there.

“Pow wow,” Wynonna laughed.

“Okay,” Gus laughed. “Well, the rest of the Haughts are here, so why don’t you all come down for dinner?” She suggested.

The group nodded and made their way down the stairs. Nicole greeted her family with a smile, asking her brother if he finally was able to win a game of NBA street. Daniel huffed and told her that he couldn’t beat Megan because she’s a cheater. Nicole laughed and Megan rolled her eyes at her brother. The group sat down at the table for dinner. Waverly helped Gus bring the food out from the kitchen. Nicole quickly stood back up from the table, offering to help as well. Waverly smiled at the gesture.

 

 

As dinner went on, the group discussed the Haughts’ plans for the rest of their vacation.

“So your birthday is coming up, huh?” Gus asked Nicole.

“Yeah, I try to pretend it’s not,” she laughed.

“Nicky doesn’t like birthdays,” Daniel told her. “Or fun,” he laughed.

“I just think it’s weird to praise someone for being born,” Nicole said. “I didn’t do any of the work,” she laughed.

“Well, we still like to celebrate that you’re here,” Andrea smiled at her oldest daughter.

“Definitely,” Waverly smiled, squeezing Nicole’s arm gently.

After dinner, Waverly helped Gus and Andrea clear the table and start the dishes in the kitchen. The twins were sitting on the couch, watching a movie with Doc. Nicole asked Wynonna and Dolls if they could join her outside, letting her know she had something to run by them.

“Thanks for talking to me,” Nicole said, sliding the glass door behind them when they made it outside.

“Sure, Red,” Wynonna told her. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking about what we discussed earlier,” Nicole started.

“Okay-” Wynonna wasn’t really sure where she was going with this yet since there hadn’t been anymore information figured out yet.

“What if I bought it?” Nicole said quickly.

“What?” Wynonna asked, confused.

“What if I bought the resort?” Nicole asked. “Nothing would change, you guys would still own it. The repairs would get done. It wouldn’t be for sale anymore. They’d back off. I don’t need anything else from it,” she assured her.

“Nicole, we can’t ask you to do that,” Wynonna immediately let her know that wasn’t going to happen.

“You’re not asking me, Wynonna. I’m offering. I have the money that my dad left me,” she told her.

“That’s for you, Nicole,” Wynonna reminded her.  

“This place matters to me too, Wynonna,” Nicole stated.

“What does Waverly think?” Wynonna asked, assuming this was not some irrational decision Nicole was trying to make on her on.

“I didn’t tell her,” Nicole admitted. “This is about me doing what’s right. I won’t take it over on you guys, I’ll sign over half. Or all. I don’t think we have many other options here.”

“I don’t know, Nicole. I think you should talk to Waverly about it.” Wynonna was still hesitant.

“You didn’t want her involved with this stuff, Wynonna. You want to protect her as much as I do. You know the last thing I want to do is leave her in danger,” Nicole stated.

“Do you think she’s in danger here with me?” Wynonna asked. “We are doing what we can here, Nicole.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Nicole realized how that sounded.

“Nicole, this is a really big decision,” Dolls chimed in.

“I understand that, guys,” Nicole told them.

“Do you really think Gus will go through with selling you the property?” Dolls asked.

“What if I did it as an anonymous donor. Donate the money to keep the place afloat?” Nicole suggested.

“You can’t just give us your money, Nicole. We won’t take it. Your dad left that money for _you!”_ Wynonna continued to protest.

“Wynonna, my dad loved this place. He had a dream and he made it work, but had to give it up for family,” Nicole told her. “He would want me to help.”

“Can you let us think on it?” Dolls asked. “We can use it as a possible last resort.”

“You need to talk to my sister about this,” Wynonna told her. “I’m not doing this behind her back.”

“Doing what behind her back?” Waverly’s voice came from behind them. None of them heard the door sliding open as they were talking.

“Waverly, hey,” Dolls said, trying to cover up the awkwardness.

“Nicole has a plan to try to help,” Wynonna said, attempting to not upset her sister.

“What plan?” Waverly asked.

“I want to buy the resort,” Nicole said softly. She cringed when she saw Waverly’s face go from calm to extremely pissed off in 3 seconds.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Nicole?!” Waverly yelled.

“Waves-” Nicole said, softly, putting her hands out in front of her.

“Can we have a minute?” Waverly asked Dolls and her sister. The pair nodded and turned to go back in the house. Nicole tried to give them a desperate look, attempting to get them to stay.

“You want to go behind my back and purchase the resort?!” Waverly continued to yell.

“Waves, that’s not-” Nicole tried to speak.

“This isn’t your problem, Nicole!” Waverly huffed. She started to pace back and forth on the deck.

Nicole’s eyes widened at the words coming out of her mouth. She knew what she meant by the comment, she didn’t want Nicole to have to clean everything up, but at this point, Nicole had trouble seeing Waverly’s problems as something that was separate from her own. “I just wanted to help,” she said, softly

“I get that, but you can’t just come swooping in here like some sort of superhero!” She huffed.

“Why not?” Nicole asked.

“That’s your money, Nicole. Yours. I told you not to think about what anyone else wanted, just what you wanted!” Waverly argues.

“This is what I want! I want to help!” Nicole started to raise her voice.

“And what about the police academy?” Waverly asked.

“I can still do that too, Waverly. Listen, this is my decision. I’m sorry that I care about you guys too and want to help because it’s something I’m able to do!”

“You’re not buying the resort Nicole!” Waverly argued.

“Waverly!” Nicole continued to protest. She understood that she was angry, but she didn’t feel like she was giving her a chance to hear her out.

“I can’t let you,” Waverly said, sternly.

“You wanted me to make the decision on my own,” Nicole explained.

“Not to buy my family’s resort!” Waverly told her.

“You’re right,” Nicole said softly. “I wouldn’t want to take things away from you and your family,” she continued, looking down toward the ground. “I’m sorry I tried to help.” Nicole made her way back into the house, excusing herself to the group inside. She explained that she was suddenly not feeling well and was just going to go back and get some rest.

Nicole stepped out the front door into the dark of the night. She took a look up at the stars as she often did and took a deep breath of fresh air in, letting it out slowly. On her way back to her cabin, she stopped at the bench she was sitting on earlier in the day. This time she hoped no one would join her since she had the desire to just be alone. She sat down on the bench and leaned forward, dropping her elbows onto her thighs, head in her hands. She sat like that for a moment before looking up and glancing at the empty bench next to her. “What now, dad?” She asked. The silence that greeted her in return was almost deafening. “I know,” she sighed, continuing to look at the bench next to her.

She spent a while sitting there, alone with her thoughts, before she stood up and made her way back to her cabin. She still beat her family back to the suite. She changed quickly and climbed into her bed, immediately feeling the loneliness of not having Waverly curled up next to her. She pulled a pillow close to her chest and rolled over onto her side, eventually succumbing to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! I got a little busy for a bit. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Nicole woke up the next morning, curled up and still holding the pillow tight to her chest. She groaned and stretched her legs out the full length of the bed. She rolled over toward the outside of the bed and saw her siblings peering up at her.

“What?” She asked her siblings.

“Why are you here?” Daniel asked, still giving his sister a confused look. 

“Umm this is our suite?” Nicole was annoyed that her siblings were in her face asking her questions that early in the morning. 

“Don’t pretend like you haven’t spent a single night here since you and Waverly started talking,” Megan told her. 

“Well, we’re not taking right now,” Nicole sighed, rolling over into her back.

“But why?” Daniel asked. 

“Guys, I love you, but there’s some things I want to keep to myself,” Nicole told them. She continued to stare at the ceiling, running her face with her hands. 

“Do I have to beat her up?” Daniel asked.

“No,” Nicole laughed, turning to look toward her brother. 

“Good because I didn’t really want to,” Daniel sighed. “She’s really pretty.”

“Dan, can I talk to Nicole real quick?” Megan asked. 

“Sure,” Daniel said without protest. 

“Thanks,” Megan said and Daniel turned and quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him a

“Okay, spill,” Megan said, turning back to Nicole after watching her brother close the door completely. 

“There’s nothing to spill,” Nicole told her. 

“Don’t lie to me,” Megan warned.

“I can’t really talk about it, Meg. It’s complicated,” Nicole told her. She didn’t want her to become too involved with anything that has been going on. At this point, she felt that she was even too involved. 

“So you had a fight?” Megan asked, trying not to ask for too many details. 

Nicole nodded. “I was trying to help with something and she doesn’t want my help,” she sighed. 

“Help or take care of it all?” Megan asked. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nicole asked, looking back at her sister.  

“You know exactly what that means,” Megan told her.

Nicole groaned, rolling over onto her back again. Megan laughed, slightly shaking the bed. “Some people like to feel like they can do it themselves too, you know?” She told her older sister. 

  
  
  


Waverly avoided the breakfast shift the next day, hanging around a little longer at the house than she usually did. She sat in the kitchen at the table, sipping on a cup of coffee when her sister walked in, quietly. Wynonna poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on the other end of the table, still not saying a word. She took a drink of her coffee and looked up at her sister, starring without talking. 

“What?!” Waverly finally asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. 

“Nothing,” Wynonna replies, continuing to sip on her coffee. 

“If you have something to say, Wynonna, just say it,” the younger Earp spat.

“I’m just saying, but I think we should look into it,” Wynonna admitted. She braced herself for possible backlash from her sister.

“I’m not letting Nicole buy our home, Wynonna! That’s not her job,” she told her, not appearing to be interested in changing her mind. 

“Hear me out?” Wynonna asked. 

“Do I have a choice?” Waverly asked, knowing her sister wouldn’t let her go until she hears what she has to say about the situation first.

“No.”

Waverly stared back at her sister without speaking. She wasn’t really interested in listening to Wynonna trying to convince her to let Nicole go through with her plan, but she decided she would at least hear her thoughts. 

“She’s not trying to just buy our home. You make it sound like she’s trying to take something from us,” Wynonna explained. “She has the ability to help us, I think we should let her.”

“I know she’s not going to take anything from us, but that doesn’t mean I want to take from her!” Waverly protested. 

“I know this entire thing is a little crazy, but that girl loves you, babygirl. She has good intentions,” Wynonna explained. 

“I know that, Wynonna! I just don’t need someone to swoop in and save me. I’m not weak,” Waverly huffed. “Everyone is always trying to protect me and no one gives me a chance.”

“I’m not saying you’re weak, Waverly,” Wynonna sighed. “And I’m sorry we left you out of a lot of this. I know you can take care of yourself.” 

“I know you had good intentions,” Waverly admitted. “But Nicole’s here on vacation. She just lost her dad. She’s always helping other people. She deserves someone to swoop in and save her sometimes.”

“I think you’ve already done that,” Wynonna said, softly.

“What?” Waverly asked.

“Don’t underestimate the power of loving someone, babygirl,” Wynonna said. 

“You’re letting your soft show,” Waverly said, finally cracking a smile at her sister. 

“Don’t tell anyone,” Wynonna warned her, playfully. 

  
  
  


Nicole had finally peeled herself out of bed and forced herself into the bathroom to take a shower. She stood with her back to the water and let it cascade over her head, flowing down her face. She reached up with her hands and rubbed her face. She thought about what her sister had said to her. Maybe she had overstepped by trying to take things into her own hands. But why couldn’t Waverly just let her help? She had to be stubborn about it, but they were running out of options. Nicole just thought it was a sure fire way to make things better for the Earp family. 

While Nicole was in the shower, Megan decided to stop by Waverly’s house to see if she could help the situation. She knocked nervously on the door, waiting for someone to answer. 

“Megan?” Waverly asked, confused, when she opened the door of her house. “Nicole’s not here.” 

“I know, she’s taking a shower,” Megan told her. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Waverly said. She opened the door further  and gestured for the younger Haught to come in. 

“Can we talk?” Megan asked as she entered the house. 

“Hey, look, if Nicole sent you, I’m not really in the mood to talk to her right now,” Waverly said, honestly. 

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” Megan told her. 

Waverly nodded and gestured for Megan to follow her further into the house, offering for her to sit on the couch. Megan took a seat on the couch and looked back up at Waverly. 

“Listen Waverly, I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but my sister doesn’t know how to not help people,” Megan told her. 

“That’s part of what I love about her,” Waverly smiled. 

“It’s in her nature. She gets it from our father. But she doesn’t realize that she might be stepping in other people’s toes when she’s helping. She means well,” Megan explained. 

“I know she does. But she can’t save everyone,” Waverly sighed.

“But that doesn’t mean she’s not going to try,” Megan laughed. “I’ve never told her this but she’s one of the best people I know. I don’t remember a time where I couldn’t count on her. She’d go to the ends of the earth for the people she loves.”

“And what happens when people don’t want her to sacrifice everything for them?” Waverly asked. 

“That’s the thing about Nicole,” Megan said. “She doesn’t think she’s sacrificing anything. To her, helping people is all that matters.”

“So you think I should let her help?” Waverly asked. She knew the teen didn’t know exactly what she was there giving her advice on, but Waverly appreciated it.

“It’s all she knows,” Megan laughed. “She wants to be a police officer after all.”

“She’s going to be great at it,” Waverly smiled. 

“And you want to be there when she makes it?” Megan asked, honestly. 

Waverly nodded. “Of course.”

“Then talk to her,” Megan said. “Maybe let her help. But let her know that she can let you help too. Do it together, she’ll appreciate that more in the end.”

“How’d you get so smart?” Waverly asked with a smile. 

“I learned from the best,” Megan laughed. 

  
  
  


When Nicole finally got out of the shower, she dried herself off quickly and wrapped the towel around her body. She picked up her phone that was laying face down next to the sink. She noticed she had a missed call from Waverly. Reluctant at first, Nicole hit the button to call the brunette back. 

“Nicole,” Waverly’s voice came over the phone. 

“Hey,” Nicole said, softly. Even if she was mad, there was something about Waverly’s voice that she loved. 

“Are you busy?” Waverly asked. 

“I just got out of the shower,” Nicole told her. She removed the towel from her body and dried her hair with it, using one hand. 

“Can you come over?” Waverly asked, unsure if Nicole would even want to see her yet. 

“Uh- yeah, sure. Let me just throw some clothes on,” Nicole told her. 

“Okay. I’ll see you soon,” Waverly said, pausing to take in the silence on the other end of the phone before she hung up. 

Nicole let out a sigh and finished drying herself off with her towel. She put her clothes on for the day and left the bathroom after hanging her towel on a hook in the bathroom.

  
  
  


Nicole stood outside of Waverly’s house for a moment before she finally decided to knock on the door. She knocked three times and waited for someone to answer. The door swung open a few seconds later and Waverly appear in the doorway. “Nicole,” she said, softly. Waverly opened the door further and gestured for the redhead to come in. 

“I’m sorry, Waves,” Nicole said as she entered the house, following Waverly to the living room. She plopped down on the couch and looked up at Waverly.

“Hey,” Waverly said softly, sitting on the couch next to Nicole. She placed her hand on Nicole’s leg. 

“I know I messed it all up, I was really just trying to help,” Nicole started to explain. 

“Nicole,” Waverly stopped her. “I know. I know you just want to help and I get it. You love this place too. And I love you for wanting to help,” she gently squeeze the redhead’s leg. 

“You do?” Nicole asked. She relaxed a little with those words and the weight of Waverly’s hand on her leg. 

“Yes. I do,” Waverly sighed. “But listen, this can’t be a decision you make without me. If you want this to work,” she gestured between the two of them. “Things like this are things I’m going to need you to talk to me about first.”

Nicole nodded. “I want this.” 

“You caught me off guard,” Waverly admitted. 

“I’m really sorry, Waves.” 

“I know. I just need you to communicate with me more. If you want to be in this, we need to be a team,” Waverly told her. “And I don’t mean this as in us, I mean this as in buying the resort.”

Nicole nodded. Her easy slightly widened at the words coming out of Waverly’s mouth. She was a little shocked that the brunette was interested in the idea of it at all. “So do you think it’ll work?”

“Baby, you really don’t have to use all your money to help us,” Waverly sighed. 

“It’s not all of it. It’s an investment. And I’m not interested in taking this place from you guys,” Nicole assured her. 

“Well it would be partially yours,” Waverly told her. “I couldn’t let you do that and not profit from it.” 

“I wouldn’t take that from Gus. I really just want to help,” Nicole told her. 

“Gus doesn’t want to run this place forever, Nicole. She’s been hanging on to it for as long as she can because she knows what it means to us,” Waverly told her. 

“So you think she’ll go for it?” Nicole asked. 

“I think she might,” Waverly admitted.

“And you’re okay with it?” Nicole asked. “Honestly?” 

Waverly paused for a moment, staring back at the redhead. She looked into Nicole’s brown eyes that were looking back at her, waiting for a response. She smiled at the redhead. “You ready to be business partners?” She smiled. 

“Baby, I’ll be your partner in any way you want me to be,” Nicole smiled. “I’m ready to do what it takes to save your home.”

“Why are you so good at that?” Waverly asked.  

“Good at what?” Nicole asked.  

“Making me forget what I was mad about in the first place,” Waverly laughed. 

“It’s a gift,” Nicole said, grinning back at the brunette. Nicole reached out her hand, pulling Waverly onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around the brunette so she wouldn’t fall and pulled her closer, laying a light kiss on her lips. 

“I love you,” Waverly whispered against her lips. “I’m sorry.” 

“I love you too,” Nicole smiled. “We’ll figure it out together.” Waverly leaned back in to the kiss, deepening it quickly. Nicole moved her right hand up to Waverly’s cheek, pushing her fingers into her hair, to the back of her head. Waverly pushed her body further against Nicole’s. 

“Do you want to go upstairs?” Waverly breathed, pulling away just enough to get the words out. 

“You’re sister isn’t hiding out your room again is she?” Nicole laughed. 

“I hope not,” Waverly said. “But if she is she’s about to get a show,” she said, standing up from the couch. She pulled Nicole’s hand, leading her up the stairs. 

When they reached Waverly’s room, she shut the door quickly behind them, turning the lock on the handle. She connected her lips to Nicole’s, leading the redhead backward until her legs were against the edge of the bed. Nicole leaned back, sitting down on the bed. Waverly climbed next to her, reconnecting lips with the redhead. She reached down with one hand and undid the buckle of Nicole’s belt, then quickly popped open the button of her jeans. Nicole smiled into the kiss. “Is that okay?” Waverly asked.

Nicole nodded and Waverly quickly unzipped Nicole’s jeans and slid her hand underneath, against her bare skin. Waverly leaned back into Nicole’s lips, tongue darting into her mouth. She moved her fingers slowly, teasing the redhead momentarily. Nicole moaned into Waverly’s mouth. Waverly continued to tease her until she felt Nicole’s hips push up into her hand. 

“Oh did you want more?” Waverly teased, quickly sliding her finger into Nicole’s wetness, pulling it back out quickly. Nicole groaned, eyes rolling back slightly. Waverly smiled at the redhead, sliding her fingers back between her legs. Nicole let out a moan at the feeling of Waverly touching her. 

Waverly stood for a moment, tugging on Nicole’s jeans, sliding them slowly down her legs. Nicole’s hips were lined up with the edge of the bed and Waverly stood between her legs, looking back up at her for a moment. She lifted Nicole’s shirt, revealing the bare skin on her abdomen. Bracing herself with her hands next to Nicole’s bare hips, she leaned in and starting laying kisses lightly over Nicole’s abs, feeling the muscles involuntary tightening under her kiss. Waverly started to move down her body, laying more kisses on her legs. She moved closer to Nicole’s center, lightly kissing her inner thighs again. She felt Nicole move her legs further apart, allowing her more access. She glanced up at the redhead who was looking down at her, watching her carefully as she worked on keeping her breathing steady. Waverly smiled at Nicole before running long strokes with her tongue slowly between her legs into her wetness. Nicole quickly took a sharp breath in, dropping her head to the bed. 

Waverly continued the movements with her tongue, causing Nicole’s breathing to speed up and her hips to start moving at a rhythm with Waverly’s tongue. She slid two fingers into Nicole, pumping them in and out, slowly at first. “Fuck, Waves!” Nicole moaned. Waverly began to speed up her movements, keeping a rhythm with her fingers and tongue. Nicole continued to thrust her hips into Waverly’s movements. “I’m so close,” Nicole breathed, causing Waverly to speed up her movements. 

After a few moments, Waverly felt Nicole’s hips thrust harder into her movements. Nicole let out a loud moan, closed her eyes and dropped back further onto the bed. Waverly continued until she felt the redhead coming, breathing slowing down. She pressed another kiss between Nicole’s legs before crawling up her body, trailing kisses on any exposed skin she passed on the way. 

Nicole took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. She opened her eyes to see Waverly hovering over her, smiling back at her. She gestured for her to come closer to her with one finger, connecting their lips together. Wasting no time, Nicole rotates the pair so that she was on top of the brunette. Waverly smiled up at her and she leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You’re so sexy,” Nicole breathed, creating a shiver down Waverly’s spine as she felt the redhead’s lips on her neck. 

  
  
  
  


“Gus, can we talk?” Wynonna asked shutting the door behind her as she entered her aunt’s office. Gus looked up from her desk and nodded at her niece. 

“So we have a solution to save the resort,” Wynonna said to her aunt, pulling a chair up next to the desk and sitting down.

“What do you mean, save the resort?” Gus asked. 

“Let’s be real here, Gus,” Wynonna started. “We know you need help, hence the investors.”

“I don’t want you girls to have to worry about any of this,” Gus told her.

“Gus, we want to help.” 

“It’s not your issue though,” Gus reminded her. 

“But it is, what’s going to happen when you’re gone?” Wynonna asked. 

“Well, thanks,” Gus chuckled a little. 

“That’s not what I mean, but we need to think realistically here,” Wynonna said in a serious tone. 

“Well, I have a potential buyer,” Gus informed her. 

“You’re not seriously considering selling this place to that asshole, Hardy?” Wynonna began to raise her voice. 

“Wynonna,” Gus said, placing her hand on her nieces arm in attempts to calm her down.

“We want to buy it,” Wynonna finally spat out. 

“You don’t have to take on that responsibility, honey,” Gus said softly. 

“We want to. This is home Gus. This was daddy’s dream.”

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Gus admitted. “He wouldn’t be mad at you.” 

“Listen, I know you don’t want to deal with this place forever,” Wynonna said. 

“I don’t think of it as dealing with it,” Gus told her. “I’ve really enjoyed this place.”

“I know Gus and we appreciate everything you’ve done for us over the past years. I’m not sure if we thank you enough,” Wynonna admitted. 

“You guys being in my life is thank you enough, Wynonna,” Gus smiled.

“You’re getting soft on me, Gus,” Wynonna laughed. 

“Don’t tell anyone,” she laughed. 

“So do you think you can at least think about considering our offer?” Wynonna asked. 

“I’ll consider it,” Gus smiled.

 

 

 

“So did you figure out what you want to do for your birthday?” Waverly asked, wrapping her arm tightly around Nicole’s torso. 

“Can I just stay in bed with you all day?” Nicole whined.  

“I’m sure your family would want to be involved though,” Waverly laughed. “I don’t think they’d want to join us in bed,” she teased.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Nicole huffed. 

“Well how about you and I spend tomorrow together? It’s the last full day that we’ll have besides your birthday,” she said. 

“Don’t remind me,” Nicole said, giving her a pouty lip. 

“I know. Let’s not think about it yet. You get me all day tomorrow,” Waverly leaned over, kissing Nicole on the nose. 

Nicole rested her forehead against the brunette’s.  “You’re not going to make me sleep alone again tonight are you?” she asked. 

“Hey, I didn’t make you! But I didn’t like it either,” Waverly pouted.

“Ugh what am I going to do when I have to go home to my own bed?” Nicole whined, rolling over onto her back. 

“I thought we weren’t talking about it?” Waverly laughed. 

“So what do you want to do tomorrow then?” Nicole asked, turning her head toward Waverly. 

“How about I surprise you?” Waverly smiled.

“Does that mean you don’t know yet?” Nicole laughed. 

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” Waverly said. She leaned in, connecting her lips with the redhead’s. The kiss deepened slightly before she pulled away. “Didn’t you tell Dan you’d snowboard with him today?” She asked.

Nicole groaned. “Damnit.” 

“Do you not want to?” Waverly laughed. 

“All I want to do is you right now,” Nicole shot the brunette dimpled smile. Waverly shook her head and playfully pushed her. 

  
  
  


 

When Nicole and Waverly finally got out of bed, they met up with Daniel at the mountain. He had already been snowboarding for a while at that point. He didn’t pay much attention to the fact that they were later than they said that were going to be. He was mostly afraid to ask why. They made it to the top of the mountain and Waverly and Nicole were standing to the side a bit, talking briefly to each other. 

“Are you two going to keep making googly eyes at each other all day or actually snowboard?” Daniel asked, making his way over to the pair. 

“Would you rather go back to us not talking?” Nicole laughed. 

“No! Sad Nicole is depressing. I’m already not looking forward to going back home,” he told her. 

“We’re not talking about that!” Nicole said quickly.

“Nicky, Waverly already told me she’d come visit me, don’t worry,” Daniel told her. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole laughed, glancing over at Waverly. 

“I mean, he is the cool Haught,” Waverly teased, shrugging at Nicole. Waverly puts a fist out to Daniel to bump it. Nicole laughs, shaking her head at them.

“See you at the bottom!” Daniel called out as he pushed himself closer to the edge of the mountain. He waved quickly at his sister and Waverly behind descending to the bottom.

“You two are ridiculous,” Nicole laughed, turning to Waverly after watching her brother take off down the mountain.  

“You don’t hate it,” Waverly told her. 

“I don’t,” Nicole smiled. She then pushed herself to the top of the slope and began her descent to the bottom. At the bottom of the mountain, she saw Wynonna approaching her when she was unhooking her board.

“Haught pants, can we discuss something?” Wynonna asked. 

“Um, sure,” Nicole said. She looked around for Waverly, noticing her brother standing behind her instead.

“About?” Nicole asked. 

“Business talk,” Wynonna said quickly.

“Okay, well Waverly is going to be there too then,” Nicole informed her. She glanced behind her to see Waverly approaching them. 

“Yeah, yeah sure. But can we leave Tweedle Dee behind though?” She asked, glancing at Daniel. 

“We’re not leaving him behind but maybe he can go take another run at the mountain while we chat,” she said, giving her brother a look that said they needed a minute. 

“Sure, I don’t think I want to know anyway,” Daniel laughed, taking his snowboard and making his way over to the ski lift.

“So what’s up?” Waverly asked. Nicole stood behind her, wrapping her arms around her torso.

“I talked to Gus,” Wynonna started. 

“And?” Waverly asked. 

“And I think she’s going to go for it,” Wynonna said. 

“What did you tell her?” Nicole asked.

“I told her it was time we took it over,” Wynonna told her. 

“And she just accepted that?” Waverly asked, not totally believing her sister. 

“Are you underestimating my power of persuasion?” Wynonna huffed. 

“No, I’m just making sure you’re not lying to me,” Waverly laughed. 

“I’m not lying,” Wynonna said, throwing her hands in the air in front of her. “I told her we wanted to take it over because we knew she didn’t want it forever. She’s considering it. But you know Gus.” 

“She wouldn’t do anything with it that we disagreed with,” Waverly said.

“Exactly!” Wynonna siad, in a cheerful tone that threw Waverly and Nicole off a little. 

“So do we tell her exactly what we’re doing or just go through with it as if it’s just coming from you guys?” Nicole asked. 

“We don’t want to take anything away from you, Nicole,” Wynonna reminded her. 

“I wouldn’t think that you are. How about for now we figure out the logistics with Gus and worry about the rest later?” Nicole asked. 

“Deal,” Waverly smiled. 

“Okay, so it’s a deal. Pleasure doing business with you Haught stuff.” Wynonna put her hand out for Nicole to shake it. Nicole shook her head at the brunette, but shook her hand anyway. 

“You sure you’re ready to be this committed to me, Wynonna?” Nicole laughed.

“Well, I feel like I’m stuck with you regardless,” she winked at her sister. Waverly smiled and nodded.

 

That evening, Nicole ate dinner with her family and told Waverly that she would be back to stay at her house for the night. As she made her way across the property she saw Gus outside of the main cabin and waved at her. 

“Hey Nicole, glad I caught you! Could you help me with something?” Gus asked, gesturing to the door of the cabin. 

“Sure, Gus! What’s up?” Nicole asked, taking the turn toward the cabin.

“I need help hanging these new curtains in the game room. My nieces aren’t answering their phones,” she huffed. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you anyway.”

Nicole swallowed hard. She wanted to talk to her? Talk to her about what? Maybe this was it. Maybe this was where she gets the ‘you better not hurt my niece’ talk from Gus. She wasn’t sure that the conversation would take place but she wasn’t sure that it wouldn’t. She had two more days at the resort and she thought she was getting away without a possible lecture from Waverly’s family. 

“Oh yeah?” She asked, mouth feeling dry as ever. 

Gus nodded and lead Nicole into the game room, showing her where she needed help. Nicole quickly started to use the available tools to hang the new curtain rod about the windows. There was a deafening silence that took over the room as Nicole waited for what Gus has to say.

“So, you and Waverly have gotten pretty close,” Gus started. She pulled out the curtains and started to unfold them. 

There it was. Nicole suddenly grew nervous to talk to the woman that she ultimately known her entire life. Gus had always been someone she was comfortable with, but that was before she was sneaking off into every corner to make out with her niece. 

“Yeah,” she choked out. 

“Nicole, dear,” Gus said softly. She turned to the redhead, touching her lightly on the arm. “You have nothing to be nervous about.” 

Nicole forced a nervous smile on her face. “Sorry,” she said softly. 

“I just wanted to see what your intentions are,” Gus said, smiling st the redhead. 

“My intentions?” Nicole asked. Why was her mouth so dry? She coughed slightly. Does she tell her she’s in love with her niece and her intentions are to stay that way and do everything in her power to make it work? Will that freak her out and make her forbid Nicole from seeing Waverly again? Forbid her? Nicole rubbed her face with her hand to calm her thoughts down. 

“Honey,” Gus said. “I'm not trying to interrogate you,” she laughed. 

“I love her,” Nicole spat out. She cringed slightly at her lack of self control. “I know it all seems kind of fast,” she continued, feeling a little more in control now. “But I really feel a connection with her. My intentions are to be there for her as long as she’ll have me.” 

“And when you go home?” Gus asked. 

“I plan on doing what we can to make it work. We’ve talked about it and I feel like I’ve made my feelings for her clear,” Nicole told her. 

“Your mom tells me you’re interested in the police academy,” Gus said. Nicole was taken back a bit by the slight change in subject. 

“That’s the plan,” she nodded. “I was actually thinking about applying to the one out here. But that’s the first time I’ve said that out loud.” 

“As long as you’re making these decisions because it’s what you want,” Gus reminded her. Nicole took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. She realized that the woman wasn’t only interested in her intentions with her niece, but her intentions for herself. “If you plan your life around someone else, you could end up resenting them.” 

Nicole nodded. “Thank you for your support,” she smiled. “It really means a lot to me. And I do want you to know that I plan on doing my best to be there for Waverly.” 

“I know, sweetheart,” Gus said, placing her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “I suppose we’ll be seeing you more often then?” 

“I sure hope so,” Nicole smiled. 

“Your mom also told me what your dad left you at the resort,” Gus told her. Nicole looked back at the grey haired woman, unsure of where she was going with this. “You’re helping the girls buy it, aren’t you?” She asked. 

Nicole’s eyes widened slightly at the realization that they weren’t as subtle about it as she thought. “I just thought I could help.”

“Nicole,” Gus started. “You know we can’t ask you for that.” 

“You’re not asking me,” Nicole told her. “It’s something that I want to do. Gus, I’ve never felt more at home than I do when I’m here. It’s always been that way. This was my dad’s pride and joy.” 

“You were your dad’s pride and joy,” Gus corrected her.

“I know and I feel like this is as close as I’ll ever get to him again. I’m not here to take anything away from you or Waverly and Wynonna. I’m here to help in the only way I know that I can,” she pleaded. 

Gus nodded. “You have your father’s heart,” she smiled. 

“So are you going to let us do this?” Nicole asked. 

“Well work out the details,” Gus nodded. 

“Thank you,” Nicole smiled. “And thank you for trusting me with Waverly.” 

“I’m not sure I had a choice there,” Gus said with a wink. “But if I got to choose, you’d be my first choice,” she smiled. Gus opened her arms to hug the redhead. Nicole smiled and happily reciprocated the embrace. They finished hanging up the curtains and Nicole glanced down at her phone, realizing she had missed a few calls from Waverly. She quickly called her back and the brunette answered after it only rang once. 

“Hey, sorry, I was helping Gus hang curtains,” Nicole explained. 

“You were what?” Waverly asked, confused. 

“She recruited me on my way over,” Nicole laughed.

“I was worried,” Waverly said, softly.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole apologized. “I’ll be over soon, okay?” 

“Mmhmm,” Waverly replied. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” Nicole hung up the phone after responding to Waverly. She sighed at the thought of those phone calls soon becoming their new normal when she has to return to the city with her family in a couple of days. She doubled checked to see if Gus needed anything else and when she didn’t, she excused herself and headed toward Waverly’s house. 

Before she could knock on the door, it flew open and Waverly was standing on the other side. “Sorry,” Nicole said quickly. Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist, pulling her close to her body. “Is everything okay?” She asked. 

“Yeah, I just missed you,” she laughed as she buried her face into Nicole’s chest. Nicole smiled and kissed the top of the brunette’s head. 

The pair migrated together out of the doorway and up to Waverly’s bedroom. Nicole dropped down onto the bed with a groan, laying on her back, arms spread above her head. 

“You okay?” Waverly asked, letting out a small laugh at the sight of the redhead sprawled out on her bed. 

“I’m exhausted,” Nicole sighed, looking back up at Waverly. She scooted over, gesturing for the brunette to join her. Waverly quickly crawled up next to Nicole on the bed, settling in next to her, arm wrapped tightly around her torso. 

“You better get some sleep so you can be lively for our date tomorrow,” Waverly said. “And don’t ask where we’re going,” she warned. 

Nicole laughed. “Deal,” she said as she turned her head to kiss Waverly on the forehead. “So I got the lecture from your aunt,” she said softly.

“Wait, what?” Waverly asked. She adjusted herself so she was propped up on her elbow, facing the redhead on the bed. Her arm was still draped over Nicole’s torso.

“She wanted to know my intentions,” Nicole laughed. 

“And what did you tell her?” Waverly was slightly surprised that Gus took the time to interrogate Nicole to be sure that her intentions were pure. Another part of her thought it was sweet that her aunt was looking out for her like that.

“I told her I had already fallen in love with you and I was going to ask you to marry me someday,” Nicole winked. 

“You stole your dad’s line?” Waverly laughed. 

“No,” Nicole laughed. “I did tell her I love you though. We had a nice chat, actually. I was a little nervous at first.” 

“Not as nervous now?” Waverly asked. 

“She’s gives good advice,” Nicole told her. 

“Advice on what?” Waverly asked. She gave Nicole a questioning look. 

“You’ll find out later,” Nicole smiled. 

“Wait, what?” Waverly asked. “You can’t leave me hanging like that!” 

“I’ll let you know when it’s a definite,” Nicole said. She wanted to talk to Waverly about applying for the police academy near her, but she also didn’t want to get her hopes up so she thought it would be better to wait. 

“Come on!” Waverly whined. She started laying kisses on Nicole’s cheek, down her jawline and to her neck. Nicole sighed. “Is this working?” Waverly asked. 

“Mm, baby,” Nicole said. “Trust me on this. Please?” Waverly pulled away slightly, looking into Nicole’s eyes. 

“Fine!” Waverly pouted.

Nicole pressed her forehead against the brunette’s. “Thank you.” 

They spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other’s arms, talking, until Waverly’s breathing began to steady. Nicole smiled at the brunette when the sound of soft snoring began to fill the room. “Goodnight, Waves,” she smiled, kissing her on the forehead. Nicole closed her eyes and it didn’t take her long to drift off to sleep herself.


	14. Chapter 14

Waverly had planned for the pair to get up early the next day to get ready for the day. With little protest, Nicole made her way out of bed and into the shower. Waverly was already ready to go when she peeked her head into the bathroom to see Nicole standing in front of the mirror, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a sports bra. She stopped and stared for a moment, studying her pale skin carefully. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly, remembering they had plans that didn’t require staying in bed all day. 

“Let’s go, Haught!” Waverly called out.

“You can’t rush beauty!” Nicole laughed, glancing back at Waverly who was entering the bathroom. 

“Oh shut up,” Waverly laughed, pushing her playfully. “You’re beautiful always.” She wrapped her around Nicole’s torso from behind, sliding her hands over her bare abs. 

Nicole took a deep breath in, feeling the warmth of Waverly’s hands on her skin. “So where are you taking me today?” She asked, looking at Waverly in the mirror. 

“It’s a surprise!” Waverly grinned, planting soft kisses on her shoulder.  

“Is it on the resort property?” Nicole asked. 

“Nope,” she smiled. She pulled away from the redhead’s body, tapping her playfully on the ass. 

“Taking me out on the town?” Nicole laughed. 

“Zip it!” Waverly warned. “You’ll find out!” 

Nicole groaned and finished getting ready in front of the mirror. She grabbed her shirt and slid it over her head, pulling it down her torso. “I’m ready,” she smiled. 

Waverly pulled out of the resort property in her Jeep with Nicole in the passenger seat. Nicole watched out the window to see if she could tell where they were headed. She hadn’t spent much time around the town of Purgatory itself, with the exception of the restaurant they visited that was just slightly off the property. They made easy conversation as they drove down the street, turning in the parking lot of the high school in town. 

“Purgatory high school?” Nicole asked, confused as to why they were there. 

“Follow me,” Waverly said as she placed the Jeep into park and climbed out of the vehicle. 

“Are we breaking into a school?” Nicole asked as she took Waverly’s lead and followed her.

Waverly laughed and shook her head. “This is where I went to school,” she smiled. 

“I figured,” Nicole laughed. “Are we here to fulfill my fantasy of making out with you against the lockers?” She grinned. 

“Is that really your fantasy?” Waverly shot Nicole a look, raising an eyebrow to the redhead.

“It is now,” Nicole laughed, taking Waverly by the hand as they entered the school. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Waverly shook her head at Nicole. “Come here,” she said as she pulled the redhead over to a display case in the lobby of the school. “I want to show you something. See him? Number 22,” she pointed at what appeared to be an old high school basketball team photo. 

Nicole looked closely at the photo, squinty slightly. She nodded and smiled. “That’s my dad.”

“See 17 right next to him?” Waverly pointed at the glance again. 

“Your dad,” Nicole smiled. “Dad used to tell us stories from his basketball days,” she laughed. “Not so much toward the end though.” She continued to stare through the glass at the photo. 

“Why not?” Waverly asked. 

“I think he felt bad that I quit when he got sick,” Nicole said, softly, turned back toward Waverly. 

“I remember you used to play,” Waverly said.

“It got too hard to balance with school and helping out at home. I loved it though,” she sighed. “Danny didn’t want to play at first when he got to high school, but he’s really good. I think he feels guilty he gets the chance but I told him go for it.”

“They’re lucky to have you,” Waverly smiled, placing her hand on the small on Nicole’s back.

Nicole smiled back at Waverly then turned her attention back to the display case. “Wait, is this you?” She asked, pointing at a cheerleading photo.

Waverly groaned. “Yeah.” 

“Don’t be embarrassed!” Nicole told her. She didn’t take her eyes off of the brunette in her cheerleading uniform. 

“I was captain,” Waverly laughed. 

“Do you still have the uniform? Nicole asked, still checking out the photo. Waverly playfully pushed the redhead. “What?! Look at those legs!” 

“And not these legs?” She placed her hand on Nicole’s thigh, squeezing gently. 

“I mean, I like yours better,” she said. “Can you imagine if we went to school together and I played and you cheered? What a distraction you’d be,” she grinned. 

“Want to play one on one?” Waverly raised an eyebrow to Nicole. 

“You think you can take me?” She asked, grinning a dimpled smile back at Waverly. 

“I’ve dabbled a little,” Waverly said. “So maybe.” She turned and lead Nicole down the hallway, toward the gym.

“Hey look at that,” Nicole said, pointing up st the gym walk where her father’s name was displayed with ‘1000 points club’ under it. 

“Oh yeah, 1000 points! Did you know that?” Waverly asked. 

“I did. He was so proud of that,” Nicole smiled, continuing to look at the banner. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” Waverly asked. 

Nicole lowered her head to make eye contact with Waverly. She nodded silently. 

“I thought about you a lot when I used to see your last name up there,” Waverly admitted. 

“Yeah?” Nicole smiled.

“I thought about you often in general,” Waverly told her. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to keep in touch. I feel like I missed out on so much I could have been there for,” Nicole said, softly.  

“Maybe we were meant to find each other when we did,” Waverly suggested. 

“Well we had an advantage, we already knew each other,” Nicole laughed. 

“But maybe we didn’t always need each other like we do now,” Waverly told her. 

Nicole smiled at Waverly. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, feeling the brunette quickly wrap her arms around her torso. The pair stood in silence for a moment. “Thank you for taking me here,” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s ear, still holding her close to her body. “You know what’s weird?” 

“What?” Waverly pulled back slightly so she could see Nicole’s face. 

“This place feels more like home to me than any place ever has,” Nicole admitted. Waverly smiled and pulled Nicole closer to her body. “So how about that one on one?” She asked. 

  
  
  


 

Back at the resort, Doc made plans to meet up with Mr. Hardy in attempts to get him to leave without a scene. He met him behind the main cabin, near the woods. 

“What’s so important that you needed to meet me out here?” Mr. Hardy came off as frustrated with the other man.

“It’s been sold,” Doc informed him. 

“What do you mean, Holliday?” The older man asked, confused.

“The resort, it’s over, Hardy,” Doc said. 

“Sold to who? Does Bobo know?” Mr. Hardy asked.

“Do you care? Were you really going to share anything you found with him?” Doc spit.

“What happened to you, Holliday? Did you actually fall in love here?” The older man huffed. 

“Maybe I just got tired of it all,” Doc sighed. 

“You’re weak,” Mr. Hardy said, spitting on the ground next to him. 

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “But I suggest you get out of here before they’re onto you more than they already are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The older man moved closer to Doc, getting his face.

“Just take my advice, Hardy,” Doc warned. Mr. Hardy moves closer to Doc. Doc stood his ground, unsure of what was about to happen but willing to take the hit if needed. 

“I’d suggest you take his advice.” Dolls came around the corner of the building, toward the two men.

“What are you going to do about it?” Mr. Hardy spat, moving away from Doc and toward Dolls. Dolls quickly flashed his badge at the older man. 

“Hey, listen, I don’t want any trouble here,” Mr. Hardy suddenly grew nervous. He put his hands out in front of him and started to back away.

“I’m not going to ask you again then,” Doc told him.

“Alright, whatever Holliday. But you better watch your ass. If Bobo ever gets out he’ll come looking for you!” He said. 

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take then. But I don’t think you’ll want him looking for you,” Doc warned. 

“He won’t find me,” Mr. Hardy informed him as he turned to leave. Doc and Dolls watched as he disappeared from sight. 

“Thanks, Xavier,”  Doc nodded at the other man. 

“Sure, Holliday. That’s it now, right? No more messing with the Earps?” Dolls asked in a warning tone. 

“I wasn’t messing with them,” Doc said, softly. 

“You better be good to Wynonna,” Dolls warned. 

“You love her, don’t you?” Doc finally asked the question that everyone wanted to know the answer to.

“It doesn’t matter,” Dolls brushed it off. 

“Xavier,” Doc began. 

“Be good to her,” he nodded, continuing to ignore the question. 

“She’s got you for that,” Doc smiled, patting the other man on the shoulder.

“What?” Dolls asked. 

“I can’t stay here, Xavier. I just turned my back on a gang,” Doc explained.  

“Are you going to tell her?” Dolls asked, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to change the man’s mind.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Doc said apprehensively.

“I think you should,” Dolls repeating. He knew that Wynonna was going to be upset regardless, but it would be better coming from Doc himself. 

“I have to leave,” Doc said, nodding at the other man and turning to walk away. Dolls sighed, knowing that he was going to have to be the one to tell Wynonna.

  
  
  


 

After going to the high school, Waverly took Nicole just outside of town to a park. On one end of the park, there was a small waterfall that was partially frozen from the cold of the winter. Waverly took Nicole’s hand in her own and lead her over to a bench near the bottom of the waterfall. 

“Wow, this is beautiful, Waves!” Nicole said, taking in the views.

“I love this place,” Waverly sighed. “I come up here when I need to think, or make a big decision. It’s beautiful no matter what time of year it is.”

“Kind of like you,” Nicole smiled as she sat down on the bench, pulling Waverly into her lap. 

“Smooth,” Waverly said.

“Thank you for today,” Nicole said, kissing Waverly on the cheek. 

“Of course, babe. You should come back to visit in the summer. I’ll show you my favorite swimming spots here,” Waverly smiled.  

“Deal,” Nicole said, wrapping her arms tighter around the brunette, leaning in for a kiss. 

“I’m going to miss you,” Waverly sighed as she pulled away from the kiss. 

“I thought we were talking about it,” Nicole whined. 

“I think we should a little,” Waverly admitted. 

Nicole sighed. She knew it was inevitable for them to discuss it more in detail, but she wasn’t ready to actually face the fact that she would be leaving soon. “Are you worried?” She asked, softly.

“I guess a little,” Waverly admitted.

“What are you worried about?” Nicole asked. 

“I’m afraid we’ll drift apart again,” Waverly said, softly. 

“Waves, that’s not going to happen,” Nicole assured her.

“How do you know that?” When those words came out of Waverly’s mouth, Nicole paused for a moment. How did she know that? How could she be so confident that she could sit here and tell this girl that there was no way she was ever leaving her behind again.

“Because I’m not going to let it,” she finally spoke. “Remember when I told you that you were enough for me? You’re more than that, Waverly. You’re everything to me. I know it’s scary and it doesn’t seem certain, but I have faith in what we have. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone and I’m not about to give up on that.” 

She spoke confidently. She spoke truthfully. She spoke in a way that made Waverly turn her head and kiss her deeper than she had ever kissed her before.

  
  
  
  


 

“Where’s Doc?” Wynonna asked Dolls as he returned to the house later that day. 

“He’s gone, Wynonna,” Dolls sighed.

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Wynonna asked, growing slightly concerned. 

“He had to go. He said he couldn’t stay anymore after betraying the gang,” Dolls tried to explain. 

Wynonna pulled her phone out, attempting to call Doc. She called several times, each time going straight to voicemail. “He wouldn’t just leave,” she said, attempting to call him again. 

“Wynonna,” Dolls began. He could tell she was becoming upset.

“He really just left?” She asked, finally putting the phone down

“Wynonna, I’m sorry,” Dolls reached a hand out to place it on her shoulder. Wynonna moved before he made contact with her. 

“Um. Yeah, it’s fine,” she said. Her tone dropped from worried to neutral. “Have you seen Waverly?”

Dolls shook his head at the brunette. She nodded at him and picked her phone back up to call her sister. It rang twice and Waverly’s voice came over the phone. “Hello?”

“Waves, hey,” Wynonna said, softly.

“What’s up?”

“What are you up to?” Wynonna asked. 

“I’m out with Nicole. Is everything okay?”

“Oh. Yeah, it’s fine,” Wynonna asked, softly. “You have fun, babygirl.” 

“Wynonna,” Waverly could tell there was something she wasn’t telling her. 

“I’ll see you when you get back,” Wynonna tried to sound more cheery. “Have fun.”

Waverly heard the phone click and she pulled it away from her ear. She tucked her phone back into her pocket and sighed. “Something’s wrong with my sister.” 

“Is she okay?” Nicole grew suddenly concerned. 

“She says she is, but I know something is going on that she’s not telling me.” 

“Do you want to go back?” Nicole asked. 

“No, no,” Waverly forced a smile. “We have more to do today!” 

“But you’re worried about your sister,” Nicole reiterated. 

“The days not over,” Waverly repeated.

“Babe-” Nicole said. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly said, softly. Nicole looked the brunette in the eye, knowing that she was going to be stubborn.

Nicole also knew that Waverly would worry all day about her sister if they didn’t go check on her. “Let’s go back,” she said, softly, kissing Waverly on the cheek.

“Are you sure?” Waverly asked, not wanting to break her date with Nicole. 

“Of course, Waves,” Nicole smiled. “Family comes first,” she told her. 

“Thank you.” Waverly kissed Nicole on the lips quickly before standing up from her lap. 

  
  
  
  


 

When they made it back to the resort, Waverly parked the Jeep in front of her house and headed to the front door with Nicole trailing behind her.

“Wynonna?” Waverly called out as she made her way up the stairs to find Dolls sitting in the hallway outside of Wynonna’s room. “Is she okay?” she asked him. 

“Doc left,” he sighed.

“He left?” Waverly asked. 

“We took care of everything,” Dolls explained. “The Hardy’s are gone. But Doc couldn’t stay,” he told her. Waverly sighed, finally understanding that her sister was upset. She knocked softly on the door, turning the handle slowly. 

“Wynonna?” Waverly said as she entered the room, leaving Nicole and Dolls out in the hallway. Wynonna was sitting on her bed on the other side of the room. 

“I’m fine!” Wynonna huffed. “Waves, you did not have to cancel your plans to come back here.” 

“Wynonna-” Waverly joined her sister on the bed. 

“It’s life Waves,” Wynonna sighed. “You know us, we were no good for each other.” 

“That doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings, Wynonna,” Waverly told her, placing a hand on Wynonna’s leg. She felt like she could almost feel the pain running through her sister’s body, but there wasn’t much she was able to do about it.

“I don’t feel,” she said, leaning her head on her sister’s shoulder.  “Sorry if I ruined your date with Haught pants.”

Waverly accepted the weight of her sister’s body against her shoulder, hoping it would provide her with some sort of comfort. “You didn’t,” Waverly told her. “She made me come back.” 

“Damn, babygirl, so I’m your second choice?” Wynonna joked.

A smile grew across Waverly’s lips. She shook her head at her sister, knowing even when she was upset, she still had to make jokes. “No,” she laughed. “Just don’t tell her that. But she knew I was worried.” 

“She’s a good egg,” Wynonna winked, turning her head to look up at her younger sister. 

“She really is,” Waverly smiled. 

“Thank you for coming to check on me, babygirl.” Wynonna lifted her head up from Waverly’s shoulder. “Now go get your girl,” she nudged her sister. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Waverly asked, standing up from the bed. 

“I’m an Earp, babygirl,” Wynonna sighed. “You know we’re strong.” 

Waverly nodded and laughed. She moved toward the bedroom door and opened it to find Nicole sitting next to Dolls in the hallway, making conversation. When Nicole saw Waverly, she stood up from the floor. Dolls stood up and peeked his head into Wynonna’s room to check on her. 

“Hey, is it okay if we invite Wynonna and Dolls out to dinner with us?” Nicole asked Waverly, in a hushed tone, pulling her to the side

“Are you sure?” Waverly asked. “We can continue our date.” She didn’t want Nicole to feel obligated to spend time with her sister when she knew that she wanted to spend time with Waverly. But at the same time, the fact that Nicole showed interest in spending time with her family and making sure they were okay, was definitely gaining her more points than she already had. 

“I think it would be nice,” Nicole told her. 

“Thank you,” Waverly said, quietly, almost in a whisper as she leaned in and kissed Nicole on the cheek. “Let me go get them,” she smiled as she turned and bounded down the hallway to her sister’s room. Nicole stopped and smiled at the sight of the brunette as she disappeared into Wynonna’s room. 

Nicole waited outside of the room, unsure if she should join them or not. A moment later, Waverly appeared again with Wynonna and Dolls behind her. Wynonna looked a little defeated, but put a smile on her face. “Ready for our date, Haught stuff?” she teased as she playfully elbowed Nicole on her way down the stairs. Nicole smiled and nodded as she placed a hand on the small of Waverly’s back when the brunette caught up to where she was. 

  
  
  
  


 

When they arrived at the restaurant, Dolls held the door open for the women and gestured for them to walk in before him. “Chivalrous,” Wynonna grinned at the man. 

“Thanks, Dolls,” Nicole smiled as she walked past him, holding Waverly’s hand. They all slid into a booth that the hostess brought them to and began glancing over the menus. 

“So, Haught pants,” Wynonna broke the silence at the table. “When are you coming back to see me?” She asked.

Nicole laughed and looked up from her menu. “Hopefully soon,” she smiled. 

“Oh okay,” Waverly huffed. 

“What, Waves? You think you’re the only one that’s going to miss her around here?” Wynonna asked.

Waverly rolled her eyes at her sister. Nicole leaned over and whispered in her ear. Waverly giggled softly and grinned back at the redhead. 

“I don’t want to know,” Wynonna sounded disgusted. 

“You sure?” Waverly asked with a smile. 

“Yeah, I heard enough the other day coming from the bathroom,” Wynonna pretended to gag.

Waverly's eyes widened and Nicole started to laugh. “Don’t act like we’re the only ones,” Waverly retorted and looked back toward Wynonna and Dolls, causing the man to choke slightly on his water.

“A woman has needs,” Wynonna looked at Dolls, causing him to shake his head at the brunette. 

“Okay, how about we don’t talk about this over dinner?” Dolls suggested. 

Wynonna laughed and leaned into the man's side a little . “Deal.”

The rest of dinner, Nicole spent a lot of time observing the others. She watched the way Wynonna would wink at her sister when she said something sarcastic to her, hoping to get a reaction out of her. She watched how Waverly would clench her jaw when she became slightly frustrated with her sister’s jokes at times. She noticed the way Dolls looked at Wynonna when she spoke. The attention he gave to every word that came out of her mouth. She stopped for a moment and smiled, knowing that there was someone to watch over a Wynonna. Not that she needed to be taken care of, but Nicole has grown more fond of the woman than she was ever going to admit to her, and it was nice to know she had someone there for her. 

“Well, thanks for letting us crash your date tonight,” Wynonna smiled as she stood up from the table after they were done eating.

“My pleasure,” Nicole smiled. She felt Waverly’s hand on her back as she slid out of the booth, away from the table. 

 

 

 

When they returned back to the resort, Waverly pulled Nicole to the side, holding her back a little as her sister and Dolls walked past them. “So there was one more thing I was hoping we could do tonight,” she told her. 

Nicole smirked and raised an eyebrow to Waverly. “That’s not what I meant,” Waverly laughed. 

  
  
  


Dolls continued to walk Wynonna to the door of her house. Wynonna stopped on the front porch and turned to the man. “This isn’t just you trying to move in now that Doc is gone?” She asked. 

“I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he said, softly.  

“I’m fine, Xavier,” Wynonna told him. She spoke a little more sternly than she intended to. 

“Okay, fine,” Dolls nodded. “Goodnight then,” he smiled softly at the brunette and turned to leave the porch.  

Wynonna took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “Wait,” she called out. Dolls spun around to make eye contact with Wynonna. “Can you stay?” She asked, softly.

Dolls gave the brunette a small smile and nodded his head. He turned back fully around and followed Wynonna back into the house. 

  
  
  
  


Waverly took Nicole by the hand and lead her down the road. Nicole looked around her, trying to figure out where she might be taking her. She felt that by now she had seen everything there was to see on the property. They turned the corner and Waverly walked a little faster toward an old cabin that looked like it hadn’t been visited in a while. She tugged on Nicole’s arm, pulling her toward the building. Nicole looked at the brunette a little confused. “Is this where you take me to kill me?” She laughed.

“Not exactly,” Waverly told her. 

“Kidnap me?” Nicole continued asking.

“Now that I could get down with,” Waverly teased as she put a key into the door handle and swung the door open. Nicole laughed as she followed Waverly into the dark room. Nicole turned to shut the door as Waverly used the flashlight on her phone to guide her across the room, lighting a few candles that sat on the mantle above the fireplace. Nicole joined Waverly on the other side of the room, wrapping her arms around her torso from behind. Her fingers lightly brushed the skin on the brunette’s abs, just above her waistband. Waverly closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the feeling of the redhead wrapped around her body. They stood in silence for a moment. Nicole did everything in her power to engrave this feeling into her mind. 

“I've always wanted to fix this place up and live here,” Waverly finally spoke. 

“Really?” Nicole asked as she opened her eyes. She stepped back from Waverly, allowing her space to turn around and face her, but leaving her hands planted firmly on the brunette’s hips. 

“It has potential!” Waverly laughed.

“Oh, I didn’t mean that to sound bad!” Nicole laughed. “I think that’s really cool, Waves!” She smiled, attempting to redeem herself. 

“Do you want to see my plans for it?” Waverly grinned.  

“Absolutely,” Nicole smiled. 

Waverly slid out from Nicole’s grasp and pulled the redhead by the hand. “Follow me,” she said, leading her into what seemed to be another room. “Just stay close. I know the layout,” she laughed. Nicole moved a little closer behind Waverly, trusting her to lead her through the building. They stopped walking after a moment. Nicole stood close behind Waverly who turned the flashlight back on her phone and leaned over a table that she could now see in the middle of the room. Waverly started to flip through a binder with different design plans in it. 

“Baby, this is amazing,” Nicole smiled. She wanted to tell her that she could see them working on this together. She wanted to tell her that she wanted to help and she’s always had a dream of fixing a home up with the person she loved. She wanted to tell her she could see them making this place their home one day and where they could grow old together. She swallowed hard before she said too much. 

“I’ve never actually told anyone about this before, but it’s a project I’ve been wanting to work on for a while,” Waverly said, breaking Nicole out of her thoughts. “It needs a lot of work, I know.” 

“Waverly,” Nicole started. Waverly turned her head to see Nicole looking back at her. The redhead placed her hand on the small of her back. Nicole’s heart began to race at the sight of the brunette’s face, only slightly lit up by the glow of the flashlight reflecting off of the pages of the binder. For a moment she felt like she forgot how to speak as she stared back at the woman who, at that very moment, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. “I think it’s great,” she smiled. 

Waverly pushed up to bring her face closer to Nicole’s. She pressed her lips against the redhead’s. The kiss didn’t last long, but it was deeper than the normal quick kiss. The pair both kept their eyes closed for a moment after they separated, pressing their foreheads against each other. “Really?” Waverly finally asked as she opened her eyes and pulled a little further away from Nicole’s face. She seemed a little nervous about showing this idea to someone. 

“Really,” Nicole smiled. “It’s going to look great.” 

“I just wish you could be here to see it,” Waverly said softly, unsure of what Nicole’s response would be. She looked into the redhead’s eye. Nicole could see every bit of pain behind the statement that was just made, her stomach turning at the thought of the brunette hurting in anyway. 

“I’ll come back,” Nicole said in almost a whisper as her forehead pressed back up against Waverly’s. “I’ll be back,” she repeated. 

Waverly wrapped her arms tightly around Nicole’s waist, burying her head as far into her neck as she could possibly go. Nicole accepted the embrace, enveloping the brunette’s upper body in her arms. She kissed the top of her head lightly before resting her chin gently on top of Waverly’s head. “Take me back home?” Waverly asked. The words were muffled from Waverly’s head being buried in Nicole’s neck still. Nicole nodded and pulled slightly back, kissing Waverly on the forehead. 

Before leaving the cabin, Waverly blew out the candles and relocked the door. She linked her fingers back between Nicole’s and they started their walk back under the star filled sky. Nicole glanced up at the sky, appreciating the stars again. 

“Are you sure you want to stay over again?” Waverly asked as they climbed the stairs to the porch. “You don’t want to spend the morning with your family?” 

“They’ll understand,” Nicole laughed. “I told them we would meet up with them in the morning for breakfast.” 

“I’ll make sure you’re up,” Waverly told her. Nicole groaned at the thought of waking up early. “You can sleep when you’re back in the city,” Waverly laughed. 

“I thought vacation was for sleeping,” Nicole joked. 

“Well if you’d rather be sleeping than spending time with me,” Waverly grinned and trailed off. She opened the door to her bedroom, allowing the redhead to go in before her. She shut the door behind them and watched as Nicole plopped down on the bed on her back, causing her to laugh. Waverly crawled onto the bed next to Nicole, resting her hand on the redhead’s stomach. She rubbed small circles with her thumb on her exposed skin. She watched as Nicole relaxed under her touch, slowly closing her eyes. Nicole’s breathing began to slow and the sound of soft snoring filled the room. Waverly smiled at the redhead, kissing her softly on the cheek before resting her head down on the pillow next to her drifting off to sleep as well. 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the continuous feedback! I’m glad everyone’s liking it so far! 
> 
> Side note: I’ll be going on vacation next week so I might not be able to update for a couple of weeks, but I’ll try to post again before I leave! 
> 
> If anyone is going to Love Fan Fest I’ll be there!

Nicole rolled over the next morning to find the other side of the bed empty next to her. She groaned, immediately missing the body heat from Waverly, wondering where she was. She hoped she hadn’t gone far because she wasn’t really ready to get up and face the day yet. The door creaked open and Waverly made her way back to the bed, attempting not to wake the redhead. She smiled down at her when she realized she was already awake.

“Happy birthday!” Waverly cheered, climbing back into bed. She wrapped her arms around the redhead and planted a kiss on her cheek. Nicole smiled back and her and reciprocated the embrace. “How did you sleep?”

“Not bad, I just missed you when I woke up,” Nicole whined.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly said. “I was just in the bathroom.”

“Don’t do it again,” Nicole teased. Waverly laughed and pulled Nicole closer to her body, if it was even possible at this point.

“Deal,” Waverly smiled. So do you actually have a plan for today?”

“I told my family we’d meet them for breakfast. Dan convinced me that bowling was a good idea,” she laughed.

“Is it not?” Waverly asked.

“I don’t really care,” Nicole laughed.

“Well it’s your day,” Waverly said, sweetly, pressing a soft kiss against Nicole’s cheek.

“I know. I just want to be with you and my family. I don’t care what we do,” she repeated. Nicole didn’t realize the tone she was giving off made it sound like she really didn’t want to do anything for her birthday.

“Are you okay?” Waverly asked. She pulled away from Nicole’s face so she could see her more clearly.

“I’m fine.” Nicole knew she wasn’t very convincing but that was all she was willing to give at the moment. Waverly stared a little harder at the redhead before her face softened a little more and she didn’t grill her any further. She just smiled, nodded and quickly placed a kiss on Nicole’s nose. Nicole smiled. “I’m going to jump in the shower, quickly, do you want to join me?”

Waverly nodded and followed the redhead into the bathroom. She turned on the water on and check the temperature before gesturing for Nicole to step in first. Nicole stood facing the water, allowing it to cascade down the front of her body. Waverly slipped in behind her and, without words, wrapped her arms around Nicole’s body from behind. Her hands slowly slid across the bare skin on Nicole’s abdomen, goosebumps forming in the trail that her hands were creating. Nicole breathed in quickly, placing her hands over Waverly’s, sliding her fingers in the spaces between the brunette’s fingers.

Waverly began placing soft kisses on Nicole’s back, trailing down her shoulder blades. Nicole closed her eyes, pulling Waverly’s arms tighter around her body. The pair stood in silence for a few moments before either of them spoke.

“Hi,” Waverly whispered against the redhead’s back. Nicole smiled and opened her eyes, turning her head slightly to see Waverly looking back at her with her chin mounted on her back.

“Hi,” Nicole smiled. She quickly turned around, pressing her body tightly against Waverly’s, arms still wrapped tightly around her body. She found herself staring deeply into the brunette’s eyes, a smile plastered on her face. She wanted to tell her how she could get used to this, but she didn’t. She just took the time, once again, to continue to enjoy small moments like this. Never taking them for granted.

 

 

 

“There she is!” Andrea called across the room, a little too loud for Nicole’s comfort level. Nicole cringed slightly and smiled softly at her mother. “Happy birthday!” Her mother cheered, hugging her daughter next to their table.

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole smiled as she peeled herself from her embrace and sat down at the table.

“Good morning, Haughts,” Waverly smiled as she sat down next to Nicole. They said their ‘good mornings’ and sat together while eating breakfast, making small talk here and there. Nicole was particularly quiet during this time.

“So the plan is to go bowling this afternoon and then we’ll go out to dinner tonight?” Andrea asked, attempting to break her daughter from whatever funk she was in.

“Sounds good, Nicole gave a half smile. Waverly placed her hand on Nicole’s leg and squeezed it gently, leaning a little further into her shoulder in a comforting way.

“You’re usually a little more excited about your birthday, Nicky, geez,” Daniel huffed.

“Just tired, Dan. Bowling sounds fun, thanks for the suggestion,” Nicole told him.

“It was either than or snowboarding but we’ve basically been doing that every day since we’ve been here,” Daniel laughed.

“Wow, you act like we live boring lives around here!” Waverly winked at the younger Haught.

“Well, you said it!” Daniel laughed, pointing at Waverly. Nicole kicked him under the table. “Ow!” He yelled.

“Leg spasm,” she laughed. Daniel huffed and shook his head at his sister.

“Well how about I come visit you guys soon and you can show me what it’s like to really have things to do?” Waverly asked with a laugh.

“You bet!” Daniel shot the brunette a dimpled smile.

“Just don’t be crying later when we bowl a higher score than you too, Danny boy,” Megan provoked her brother.

“Whatever,” Daniel huffed. Nicole laughed as she took a sip of her juice.

 

 

 

Nicole was in their bedroom going through her clothes and attempting to pack her bag back up to go home the next day. Waverly was helping Gus for the rest of the morning, giving the Haughts time to pack up before they went bowling later that day. Nicole dropped some clothes into her suitcase and turned to grab more, stubbing her toe on the edge of the bunk beds.

“Fuck!” Nicole hissed, taking her weight off of her right foot. She slightly hopped over to the bed, dropping down onto it.

“Hey, Nicky, are you sure you’re okay today?” Megan asked as she entered her room to see her older sister hopping around in pain.

“Yeah, Meg, it’s all good,” Nicole sighed. “I just stubbed my damn toe.”

“That sucks,” Megan groaned. “Was there something else you wanted to do today? You don’t seem excited about anything.”

“No, it’s not that,” Nicole sighed. She stopped staring down at her toe and looked up, making eye contact with her sister. “I’ve just got a lot of my mind.”

“Girl problems?” Megan asked, sitting down on the bed next to Nicole.

“No,” Nicole laughed. “I’m good in that category.”.

“Are you guys going to stay together?” Megan asked.

“That’s the plan,” Nicole told her.

“Do you think it’ll work?” Megan asked.

“Well I did,” Nicole laughed. She knew her sister was just trying to make conversation to figure out what was going on with her, but it didn’t stop her from stopping to question her every move for that moment in time. Nicole took a deep breath in.

“Oh, no! I’m not trying to discourage you!” Megan laughed.

“I know.” She let the breath out that she had been holding momentarily. She was done second guessing. “I’m fine though. I promise,” she smiled at her sister.

“Packing sucks!” Daniel huffed as he came barging into the room.

Nicole looked up at her brother who was dramatically throwing himself back on the bed on the other side of the room. “Isn’t mom just going to end up doing it for you?” She laughed.

“She told me I have to do it!” He whined.

“Oh my god!” Megan groaned. “Don’t be stupid, just shove it in there.”

“Mom packs it better!” He protested.

“If only your basketball team knew how much of a momma’s boy you are,” Megan rolled her eyes. Daniel picked up a pillow that was on the bed above his head and threw it across the room at his sister.

“Okay, okay,” Nicole laughed. “Pack your own bag,” she said to her brother. “And leave him alone,” she turned her attention toward her sister. Megan rolled her eyes again and laughed. Daniel huffed and stood up to start packing his bags.

There was a knock at the open door and Nicole looked up to see Waverly smiling back at her. “Is there actual packing going on in here?” She laughed looking around the room. The pillow that Daniel threw was on the floor and all three Haught kids’ bags were only half filled.

“We were taking a break,” Nicole laughed. Waverly shook her head at the redhead and made her way to where she was. She quickly grabbed a hoodie out of Nicole’s suitcase. “What are you doing with my favorite hoodie?”

“Stealing it,” Waverly laughed as she quickly ran away from Nicole so she couldn’t take it back.

Nicole watched as Waverly slid the article of clothing over her head. She laughed as it cascaded down her body, hanging loosely on her sides. “Mm,” she responded when she took a second to really notice the brunette in her hoodie. Gagging sounds filled Nicole’s ears and she looked behind her to see her siblings making disgusted faces at her.

“Get a room,” they huffed.

“Don’t tempt me,” Nicole teased as she walked up to Waverly, wrapping her arms around her. She leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “god, you’re sexy.” Waverly giggled softly, feeling Nicole’s breath on her ear.

“Yeah,” Daniel said, heading toward the door. “I’m out.” He made a peace sign with his hands as he left the room. Megan followed not long after.

“Are you really keeping that?” Nicole asked after her siblings left the room.

“Are you going to stop me?” Waverly smiled. She rested her chin on Nicole’s chest and lifted her head to look up at the redhead.

“No,” Nicole laughed, placing a quick kiss on her forehead.

“I’d take your sweatpants but I’m pretty sure it’s one of the only pair of pants that you own,” Waverly teased.

“Hey! I was on vacation, I’m all about comfort!” Nicole protested. “Also I might have 3 of the same pairs,” she laughed, gesturing to her bag. Waverly laughed and pulled awake from Nicole, walking over to the suitcase and took something out of the pocket.

“What’s that?” Nicole asked as she watched the brunette from where she stood.

“Your perfume,” she smiled, spraying the sweatshirt with it.

Nicole grinned back at the brunette. “You’re adorable.”

“A little something to feel like you’re still here,” Waverly smiled. Her tone suddenly changed and Nicole could hear sadness behind her words. She suddenly felt like someone punched her in the gut and all she wanted to do was wrap the brunette in her arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.

“Come here,” Nicole said softly, taking a few steps toward Waverly. The brunette slid perfectly into Nicole’s outstretched arms and accepted the embrace, her body relaxing quickly. She buried her face into the redhead’s chest, tears falling from her eyes, absorbing into Nicole’s shirt.

“I’m sorry, Nicole,” Waverly said through her tears.

“Hey,” Nicole said, softly. She moved her hand to place her finger under Waverly’s chin, encouraging her to look up at her. Waverly moves her face slightly until Nicole could see her red tinted eyes, still full of tears. Nicole moves her hand to wipe away a falling tear. “Don’t be sorry.”

“But it’s your birthday and I told myself I wouldn’t do this,” Waverly sighed.

“Waves, it’s okay,” Nicole assured her. “You don’t have to stop your feelings because it’s my birthday.” Nicole placed a kiss on the corner of Waverly’s mouth, causing the brunette to smile. “We can talk about it whenever.”

“It sucks,” Waverly sighed, the words came out in a slight whine. Nicole let out a laugh. “You think that’s funny?” Waverly questioned her.

“No,” Nicole shook her head. “It does suck and for some reason my first reaction was to laugh.” Nicole rubbed her face with her hand and sat on the bed. Waverly joined her soon after. “It’s just that I came here on vacation with my family and I’m leaving in love.” Another laugh came from within her. “It’s crazy, right?” She dropped her elbows to her thighs, head to her hands.

“Nicole,” Waverly’s voice comforted the ache that was developing in her chest. She felt the brunette’s hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Waverly looking back at her, eyes still red from tears.

“One more day,” Nicole said softly, forcing a smile through the pain. “And then I’ll just miss you like hell until the next day I see you.”

Waverly smiled and cupped Nicole’s face in her hands. She leaned down and pressed a kiss against the redhead’s lips. “We’ll be okay.” The words came in the form of a statement, but Nicole felt that it was somewhat of a question.

“We’ll be okay,” Nicole reassured her. She took a deep breath in, pulling Waverly closer to her body, kissing her long and hard. Waverly reciprocated the kiss until she needed to come up for air.

“Ready for bowling?” Waverly asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Nicole sighed, laughing softly. “Ready to see my bowling skills?” She teased.

“Are you ready for mine?” Waverly retorted causing income to laugh. She stood up from the bed, wrapping her arms around Waverly’s waist. She placed a few kisses on Waverly’s neck.

“You smell like me,” Nicole laughed.

“But you smell good!” Waverly protested. Nicole rolled her eyes at the brunette and took her by the hand, leading her out into the living room to find her family.

 

 

 

As soon as they were assigned a lane at the bowling alley, Daniel ran over to take control of assigning everyone names on the screen.

“D Money?” Megan laughed as she sat down in one of the seats to put her shoes on.

“I’m about to name you asshole if you don’t shut up,” Daniel huffed.

“You better watch your mouth before mom’s supersonic hearing kicks in,” Nicole laughed as she and Waverly walked up behind him.

“I’m surprised she didn’t start yelling already,” he said with a laugh. They all glanced up to see their mother walking toward them, smiling.

“You look like you’re up to no good,” Andrea eyed her children.

“D-Money over here is just assigning us all names,” Megan gestured toward her brother then looked to see what name he gave their mother. “Momma bear,” she laughed.

The group began bowling, which ended up turning into a competition mostly between Nicole and Daniel. In reality, Waverly and Megan were bowling better games than they were, but they decided they didn’t care as long as one of them beat the other.

“Oh, come on!” Daniel yelled when Nicole hit two strikes in a row.” Nicole laughed, making a playful face at her brother. “She cheats!” He huffed.

“How do you cheat at bowling?” Nicole laughed.

“Do we need bumpers the next game?” Megan teased. Daniel rolled his eyes at his sister and sat back in his chair.

The song playing on the radio changed and seemed to get louder to Nicole for some reason. She looked at her mother, who was singing along to the song. “Old Time Rock and Roll,” Andrea smiled. “Your dad loved this song, remember?”

Nicole nodded, trying to force a smile on her face. She remembered her dad would play that song at the house, dancing around to it. The kids were always embarrassed when he tried to dance in front of their friends but at this moment, Nicole would give anything to have him dance just one more time.

The song continued and Nicole couldn’t stop listening. The sound of the music filled her ears, making it difficult for her to hear anything else going on around her. She started to feel uncomfortably warm and pulled at the neck of her sweatshirt. She excused herself and made her way outside to get some fresh air. Her family watched, confused, as she left the building. Waverly stood up and let them know she would go check on her. When she found her outside, Nicole was sitting on a bench near the side of the building .

“Hey there,” Waverly said, placing a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Nicole trailed off, avoiding making eye contact with the brunette.

“You sure?” Waverly asked, carefully.

“I’m fine!” Nicole snapped. She looked up at Waverly to see her eyes widen.

“Okay..” Waverly said, softly.

“I’m sorry, I’m just having a moment,” Nicole sighed.

“It’s fine, Nicole,” Waverly gently squeezed the redhead’s shoulder.

“It’s not fine, I shouldn’t snap at you,” Nicole admirted. “This birthday thing is just a lot.” She rubbed her face with her hand and continued to look up at Waverly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Waverly asked.

“It’s stupid,” Nicole huffed.

“Your feelings aren’t stupid, Nicole.”

“Birthdays were my dad's thing and he’s not even here to celebrate,” Nicole finally admitted. Waverly walked around the bench and took a seat next to the redhead.

“I’m sorry, Nicole,” she said softly, resting a hand on Nicole’s thigh.

“I just feel like I have to throw on a smile and pretend like I’m having a good time, you know?” Nicole sighed. “It’s not that I’m not. I love you all for today. It’s just not the same. But I don’t want to upset my family.”

“You’re allowed to feel, babe,” Waverly told her. “Maybe you should talk to them about it.”

“I will. It’s just, I’m not the only one who lost him,” Nicole said. She leaned her weight into the brunette’s side. Waverly lifted her arm to the back of the bench, welcoming Nicole into her embrace.

“That true. But I bet you those three people in there would understand more than anyone if you told them how you’re feeling,” Waverly told her.

Nicole paused for a moment before speaking. “Can I just sit here for a minute first?”

Waverly nodded and kissed Nicole on the cheek. “Do you want me to stay?” She asked.

“I’ll be in soon, is that okay?” Nicole asked, not wanting to offend her that she just wanted to be alone at the moment. Waverly smiled and nodded at the redhead, standing up from the bench. She leaned over and kissed Nicole on the forehead.

“Hey,” Nicole said, grabbing Waverly’s hand, pulling her back to her before she could get too far. “I love you,” she smiled.

“I love you too,” Waverly smiled and turned back toward the bowling alley.

Nicole sat for a few more minutes, thinking about her father and what he would be doing right now if he knew she was sitting on a bench outside of the bowling alley.

Keep your head up.

His voice flooded her thoughts.

You’re a Haught, Nicky. Haughts are strong, no matter what life throws at us.

Nicole took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. She waited for another moment before peeling herself off of the bench. She felt the weight of her body bearing down with every step she took.

Haughts are in this together. You don’t have to ever do it all alone.

She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. Turning toward the bowling alley, Nicole made her way back inside the building, stopping momentarily to watch her family interact with each other.

Don’t be afraid to let them in.

She smiled at her family, watching as they continued to bowl without her for the time being. She wanted to yell at her brother who seemed to be purposely bowling badly for her but instead she just laughed to herself, appreciating that they were there for her.

“Nicky, you better get over here before Dan keeps purposely bowling gutter balls for you,” Megan called out when she noticed her sister standing behind them. Nicole laughed and rejoined her family, playfully pushing her brother.

“You okay?” Andrea asked, quietly. Nicole smiled and nodded at her mother. She wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

Waverly slid her hand down, intertwining her fingers with Nicole’s. She brought the redhead’s hand to her mouth and kissed her lightly. “Am I up?” Nicole asked. Waverly nodded and Nicole walked toward the bowling balls. She held Waverly’s hand until she could no longer reach her, their outstretched hands brushing at the fingertips until they were no longer touching and their arms fell back to their sides.

Nicole lifted the bowling ball and rolled it smoothly down the lane. “Strike,” she turned around and grinned at her brother.

“You have a lot of gutter balls to make up for,” he laughed. Nicole shook her head at her brother and returned to Waverly’s side.

After bowling, the group decided on a small restaurant in town to eat dinner before returning back to the resort for the night. During dinner, no one asked Nicole much about what happened that caused her to step out of the building for a bit. They all talked about different moments of the vacation and what they were going to miss about it. Andrea told the kids that she’d like to make it an annual trip again for them to return to the resort as a family. She was surprised when all of her children agreed right away, especially the twins.

The restaurant staff sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to a slightly embarrassed Nicole at the end of the night. She should have known by now that her family wouldn’t let her get away with having a birthday without some sort of big deal being made. She smiled and accepted it, thanking the staff when they were done singing.

 

 

 

 

“Thanks for today, mom. I’m sorry if I’ve been rough to be around,” Nicole apologized. They were back in their suite, packing the rest of their belongings before the morning.

“I get it, Nicky,” Andrea sighed. She looked up from her suitcase, setting the clothes down that she was in the middle of packing.

“You know what’s weird?” Nicole asked. She took a seat on her mom’s bed, next to her suitcase. “Every birthday I’m one year closer to becoming older than him.”

“He always reminded me that I was older than him every chance he got,” Andrea laughed at the memory. “It’s weird to picture him stuck in time.”

“Life’s weird without him,” Nicole sighed.

“It's true. You know, when he first got sick, I told him I didn’t want to find out what life was like without him in it,” Andrea told her. “Your dad was my rock. But as time went on, I realized he instilled so much into you kids, it’s almost as if he’s still here,” she smiled and placed a hand on Nicole’s leg.

“That’s a good way of putting it. Megan doesn’t think she got anything from him,” Nicole told her.

“She’s stubborn like he was,” Andrea laughed.

“Don’t tell her that,” Nicole laughed.

“Did you know that she kept checking in with me to make sure we were celebrating your birthday?” Andrea asked.

“Really?” Nicole was a little shocked. “Megan?”

Andrea nodded. “She’s got his big heart too.” Nicole nodded in agreement and smiled at the thought of her younger sister looking out for her.

“So are you sure it’s okay that I stay with Waverly again tonight?” Nicole asked.

“Just make sure you’re up in the morning,” Andrea warned her.

“I’m sure Waverly will,” Nicole laughed. “That girl doesn’t sleep in.”

“We need to leave by 9 to get to the airport,” Andrea reminded her.

“She’ll get me up,” Nicole smiled as she stood up from the bed. “I’ll be there, I promise,” she told her.

 

 

 

 

“You’re tired,” Waverly laughed as she watched the redhead curling up on her bed under the blankets.

“I don’t want to sleep,” Nicole whined. She gestured for Waverly to join her on the bed, pulling the brunette close to her body. The pair laid face to face, legs intertwined, body’s as close together as possible.

“Nicole-”

“I can sleep on the plane!” Nicole continued to protest. “If I sleep I can’t see your face.” She pressed her forehead against Waverly’s, closing her eyes for a moment.

“We can FaceTime as soon as you land,” Waverly assured her. She placed a kiss on Nicole’s nose.

“It won’t be the same, Nicole whined as she opened her eyes to see Waverly staring back at her.

“True. But it’s all we have for now,” Waverly sighed. “How about we don’t do that tonight?” Waverly leaned in and pressed a kiss against Nicole’s lips. Nicole nodded as she reciprocated the kiss. They continued to kiss for a moment before pulling away for air. “Do you remember the time Wynonna convinced us that this place was haunted?” Waverly laughed.

Nicole laughed and nodded. “Yeah, she took it so far that she had her friends make noises outside of the house!”

“She loved getting a rise out of us,” Waverly rolled her eyes at the memory of her sister. “They were good memories though.” Nicole nodded in agreeance. She moved her hand to the small of Waverly’s back, tracing small circles on her bare skin with her fingers. Goosebumps formed on the brunette’s skin where Nicole’s fingers gently touched.

“What about the time we wanted to camp but it was the middle of winter?” Nicole laughed.

“Gus let us set up tents in the main cabin,” Waverly smiled. She placed her hand on the back of Nicole’s head, fingers intertwined in her hair.

“And Wynonna pretended to be a bear,” Nicole chuckled at the thought.

“She said she wanted to give us the authentic experience,” Waverly joined her in laughter.

“We stayed up all night and she was telling us ghost stories,” Nicole remembered.

“There was no way I was sleeping after that!” Waverly laughed. “But you held my hand all night.” She gently brushed Nicole’s cheek with her thumb.

“I did?” Nicole asked. She slid her hand further up Waverly’s back. Fingers continuing to brush lightly against her skin.

“Yeah,” Waverly said in almost a whisper. “You took my hand and told me monsters aren't real. But you fell asleep and never let go.”

“I do remember that. I didn’t know it was all night,” Nicole admitted.

“You always had my back. Always protected me,” Waverly told her. She smiled at the thought, wrapping her arm around Nicole’s back, holding her close to her.

“I’ll always protect you,” Nicole told her as she leaned in to kiss the brunette. Waverly smiled and pushed forward, quickly, connecting her lips with the redhead’s. The kiss grew deeper and Nicole’s hand slid around Waverly’s body, exploring her chest. Waverly took a sharp breath in at the feeling. She slightly arched her back, pushing herself further into Nicole’s touch. Their tongues lightly brushed against each other’s.

Waverly pushed her hands into Nicole’s hair behind her head pulling their faces closer together, if that was even possible. They continued to kiss, Nicole’s hands continuing to explore Waverly’s body, lightly running her fingers along her bare skin until Waverly moved her head back slightly to gasp for air. Nicole’s hand landed on Waverly’s hip, fingers slightly under the fabric of her pants. They laid in silence for a moment, eyes closed, catching their breath. Nicole pressed a few more kisses against Waverly’s face, the last one landing on the edge of her lips. Waverly let out a long breath and opened her eyes to see the redhead’s brown eyes beaming back at her in the moonlight that shone through the open window.

They spent the next few hours continuing to lay in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, reminiscing about memories they had with each other with the occasional making out in between. Waverly told stories about Nicole and Wynonna trying to race each other down the hill on trays from the mess hall. Nicole laughed hard remembering Wynonna trying to use kitchen grease, thinking it would make her go faster. Waverly reminded her that when she fell off of the tray and ended up hitting the tree, she decided to play nurse and help fix her up.

“You were always so sweet,” Nicole told her. She kissed Waverly on the forehead. “You used to want to be a nurse,” she remembered.

“That didn’t last long,” Waverly laughed.

“Why not?” Nicole asked.

“Gus reminded me I’d have to be able to see blood and not feel nauseous.” She cringed at the thought causing Nicole to laugh. Waverly leaned back in to kiss the redhead. The kiss was soft at first, but quickly filled with passion, hands exploring each other’s bodies again as if they were both just desperate to feel close to each other, not necessarily looking for anything specific to come from the touching.

“I love you,” Nicole breathed as she pulled away from the kiss. Her eyes looked tired and heavy.

“I love you too,” Waverly said with a smile. “You should try to at least get some sleep,” she insisted.

“I’m not tired,” Nicole whined, nuzzling her face into Waverly’s neck.

“You can barely keep your eyes open,” Waverly laughed.

“I’m just resting them,” Nicole grinned, dimples and all.

“The sun will be up soon,” Waverly reminded her.

“I’m not ready,” Nicole said, softly.

“Hey,” Waverly said softly, lifting Nicole’s chin with her finger. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Nicole laid her head back down on the pillow next to Waverly. Her brown eyes stared up at the brunette, tears swelling in them. Waverly softly brushed the tears off of Nicole’s cheek and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. They laid in silence, looking back at each other until the weight of Nicole’s heavy eyelids took over and she fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

By the time the sun came up the next day, Nicole felt like she had already been awake for hours. She figured she had gotten a couple hours of solid sleep before he body began to fight the sleep again. She laid in Waverly’s bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was full of the sound of Waverly’s steady breathing and Nicole was full of pain knowing she was leaving that day to go back home. She quickly stole a glance of the brunette sleeping next to her. She wanted to roll over and hold her tightly in her arms. She wanted to wake her up and tell her how much she cared about her. She also wanted to cry, hoping it would release some of the pain brewing inside of her at the thought of leaving this place. But she didn’t do any of those things. She just laid still for a while, remembering what she felt like waking up next to Waverly most mornings of her vacation. 

She thought about how in such a short period of time, she had grown so fond of this place and these people. She thought about how she felt that she finally found somewhere where she belonged and she was about to leave it and go back to reality. She was about to go back to the city where she was no longer enrolled in college. The city where she didn’t have a job and barely any friends. The city where her dad once lived, but will never be there again. The pain in her stomach started to radiate more. Silent tears fell down her face. 

Nicole tried to roll over and drift back to sleep while she still had time. She didn’t want to move too close to Waverly, in fear of waking her up. After a moment, she felt Waverly reach over and put her arm around her torso. She slid her hand into the redhead’s, linking their fingers together. Nicole reciprocated the embrace, pushing her stomach flush against Waverly’s back. She held her as tightly as possible and fell back to sleep. 

It seemed like only a few minutes had gone by when the sound of the alarm filled the air. Nicole groaned and pulled Waverly closer to her body, pushing her head further into the pillow. Waverly reached over to turn the alarm off and attempted to stretch her body out the best should could while Nicole still had a vice grip on her. “Nicole, you gotta get up,” Waverly said, softly as she tried to shake the redhead awake. Nicole groaned, refusing to open her eyes yet.

“As much as I want to keep you here forever, you have to get ready to go to the airport,” Waverly told her.  

“If I keep my eyes closed can I pretend it’s not real?” Nicole said with another groan. 

“I wish,” Waverly sighed. 

“I really don’t want to go,” Nicole opened her eyes and stared back at the brunette. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. 

“I know, babe. I’ll see you soon. I’m already working out details with Gus,” she assured her. 

“Really?” Nicole loosened her grip on Waverly’s torso and propped her head up with her elbow. Waverly nodded, smiling back at the redhead.  “So, like, tomorrow?” Nicole asked.

“I wish,” Waverly laughed. 

“How do you do this?” Nicole asked.  

“What?” Waverly asked. 

“Make goodbyes so hard,” Nicole whined. 

“It’s a talent,” Waverly said with a wink. 

Nicole smiled and kissed Waverly on the cheek. “Will you come to my cabin with me before we leave?” she asked. She slowly started to roll the other way to climb off of the bed. 

“Of course,” Waverly smiled, following suit and climbing out of bed as well. 

  
  
  
  


The pair made their way down stairs to find Wynonna and Dolls sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee at the table. Dolls was reading a book and Wynonna was playing some random game on her phone, yelling at it in the process. Nicole laughed when she heard her. They looked up from the table when they saw Waverly and Nicole round the corner. 

“Hey, guys,” Nicole said, softly. “I’m heading out soon.” 

Wynonna stood from the table. “Well, see ya!” She said, jokingly. She shot the redhead a wink and walked over to her. “Kidding,” she laughed. “Have a safe flight, Red.” Wynonna pulled Nicole into a hug. 

“You’re hugging me,” Nicole laughed, hugging the brunette in return. 

“I have my moments,” Wynonna told her. They pulled away from their hug and Dolls was standing next to them. 

Nicole turned toward the man and smiled at him. “It was great to meet you,” she said. “I’ll see you again?” 

“Of course,” he smiled. He offered Nicole a hug and she reciprocated it as well. 

“Hey, Haught pants,” Wynonna said. Nicole turned her attention back toward her. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Nicole nodded and looked back at Waverly. She looked a little nervous to let Nicole be alone with her sister but she smiled and gave her a nod. Nicole and Wynonna stepped into the other room, leaving Waverly with Dolls. 

“What’s up?” Nicole asked. 

“This is where I give you the big sister talk,” Wynonna said in a serious tone. Nicole stared back at her for a moment. “I’m just kidding. Look, thanks for helping us out while you were here. You really didn’t have to do that,” she said, more seriously this time. 

“I know,” Nicole said. “I wanted to.” 

“With that being said though, this place is yours too now, Haught,” Wynonna reminded her. 

“I know,” Nicole said. 

“So I guess I wanted to know what your intentions are. Not just with my sister, but with the resort,” Wynonna explained. 

“Like I said before, I’m not here to step on anyone’s toes. But I’m here however you guys need me. And as for your sister, I’m here as long as she’ll have me,” Nicole said with a smile. 

“Good answer,” Wynonna said, nudging Nicole’s arm lightly. 

“So you really want to be business partners with me?” Nicole asked. 

“Well, I have a feeling you’ll be around for a while. My sister is sort of a clinger,” Wynonna teased. 

“Who said I’m not too?” Nicole joked. 

“Oh, I have no doubt, Haught stuff,” Wynonna laughed. “Now you better get going before you miss your flight.” 

“I wish I could miss it,” Nicole groaned. 

“Me too,” Wynonna admitted. 

“You’re getting soft again,” Nicole teased. 

  
  
  
  


When they arrived back at the Haught’s cabin, Andrea and the twins were packing the rest of their belongings and placing bags by the door to get ready to load them in the car. 

“Do you need any help bringing the bags out?” Waverly asked. “I parked the jeep out front.” 

“Thanks again for giving us a ride to the airport,” Andrea smiled. 

“It’s my pleasure,” Waverly said, cheerfully. 

“I’ve got these,” Andrea said, gesturing toward the bags by the door. “If you want to make sure the kids aren’t forgetting things,” she laughed. Waverly laughed and nodded at Andrea. She made her way into the bedroom where all three Haught children were doing anything except making sure they were packed. 

“You guys are being productive,” Waverly laughed as she entered the room. 

“I’m all packed!” Daniel told her.

“He even did it himself,” Megan told her. “It’s rare,” she laughed as she took her back and wheeled it out of the room. 

“You got everything?” Waverly asked Nicole. 

“Everything except you,” Nicole said with a pouty lip. Waverly laughed and wrapped her arms around the redhead’s waist. 

“Soon,” she whispered, kissing Nicole on the cheek. Nicole smiled and grabbed her suitcase, rolling it behind her. She grabbed Waverly’s hand with her other hand and lead her out of the room, Daniel following behind. 

They brought their suitcases outside of the cabin and loaded the rest of them into Waverly’s jeep. Andrea and the twins decided to make one more trip through the cabin to make sure they didn’t leave anything, leaving Waverly and Nicole alone outside of the jeep. Nicole leaned her back up against the jeep, wrapping her arms around the brunette and pulled her close to her chest. Waverly laid her head on Nicole’s chest. Nicole kissed Waverly on the top of her head, then leaned back on the window of the jeep, closing her eyes. They continued to stand like this, in silence, spending their last few minutes alone like this until they heard the voices of Nicole's family quickly approaching. 

When they arrived at the car, Nicole opened her eyes and reluctantly loosened her grip on Waverly. “All clear!” Andrea smiled as she opened the door to the backseat. 

“Mom, you can sit shotgun,” Nicole assured her. 

“No, you take it,” Andrea said, giving her daughter a quick wink. 

“Thanks,” Nicole smiled. There was a growing sadness in her face that her family could see. They all piled into the back seat as Nicole made her way around to the passenger seat, climbing in the front next to Waverly. Her left hand quickly found Waverly’s leg as she rested it there for the remainder of the trip to the airport. 

  
  
  
  


The drive to the airport was full of Andrea asking her children questions about their favorite parts of the vacation. She mostly received sarcastic answers from the twins, causing Nicole and Waverly to laugh through the pain they were feeling. 

When they reached the airport security checkpoint, the group stopped walking and Waverly began to say goodbye the Andrea and the twins. 

“I’ll miss you guys,” Waverly said as tears started to form in her eyes. 

“Look, I know I’m awesome, but you don’t have to cry because I’m leaving,” Daniel teased causing Waverly to laugh.

“Of course,” Waverly said with a wink as she hugged the younger Haughts goodbye. “Thank you guys for everything and I can’t wait to have you back,” Waverly said with a smile as she hugged Andrea. “Take care of her,” she whispered.

“I will,” Andrea smiled back at the brunette as they pulled out of the hug. Waverly turned around and Nicole was a little further back than the rest of her family, watching the interactions. Nicole felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. “We’ll be over here,” Andrea said as she gestured behind her. Waverly nodded and turned back, making her way over to the redhead. She immediately wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist. 

“I’m going to miss you,” Waverly said as she buried her face into Nicole’s chest. 

“I hate this,” Nicole groaned. Waverly looked up to see tears falling down the redhead’s cheeks and wiped them away with her thumb. 

“I know, baby,” Waverly said, almost in a whisper. 

“I’ll see you soon?” Nicole asked again. She already knew that Waverly didn’t have the answer yet, but she thought maybe if she asked once more things would change. 

“Call me when you land?” Waverly asked without answering the question. Nicole felt a pain in her chest when she didn’t answer the question, but deep down she knew it was so she wasn’t get her hopes up.  

“And I’ll text you until I take off,” Nicole smiled. 

“Perfect,” Waverly said, kissing Nicole on the cheek.

“I should probably,” Nicole gestured behind her. Waverly nodded and placed a few kisses on Nicole’s lips. Nicole placed her hand on Waverly’s cheek and slid it to the back of her head as she deepened the kiss for a moment. “I love you,” she said as they pulled away, eyes still closed. 

“I love you too,” Waverly said as she opened her eyes to see brown eyes looking back at her. “No goodbyes,” she smiled. 

“See you later then?” Nicole asked.

“See you later,” Waverly smiled. She wrapped her arms tighter around the redhead, holding her close for a moment before they pulled away and Nicole headed toward her family. Waverly waved at the family once more and watched as they made their way through security. Just before Nicole turned the corner where she would no longer be able to see Waverly, she turned back and flashed her one more dimpled smile. 

  
  
  
  
  


Nicole sat down in a chair near their gate and immediately plugged her ear buds into her ears, turning up her music to drown out the world around her. Her brother sat quietly next to her eating a bag of gummy worms. From time to time, he would lean over and offer some to his sister. Nicole smiled at her brother, accepting his offer. She found herself caught up in her phone for the next hour until they boarded the plane. She texted back and forth with Waverly, for a while. She attempted to avoid texting her ‘I miss you’ every few minutes, but she found it to be a pretty difficult task. Waverly assured her that she was making a plan to come visit her as soon as possible, which gave Nicole hope and put her a little more at ease. 

Nicole felt her sister push her shoulder to gain her attention. “Bathroom?” She asked when Nicole took her earbuds out and looked up at her. “We board soon.” Nicole nodded and stood up from where she was sitting. “You okay?” Megan asked as the pair walked toward the bathrooms. 

“I’ll be fine,” Nicole assured her. 

“You don’t have to stay home, you know,” Megan told her. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole asked. 

“You don’t have to go home and get stuck there. You should really think about what you want in life,” Megan explained. 

Nicole smiled at her sister. “I know,” she said. 

“You really want to be with her?” Megan asked. Nicole nodded, without words. “Honestly, Nicky, this is the happiest I’ve seen you in a long time,” Megan admitted. “You’re more comfortable here than you’ve ever been in the city.” 

“You know, for how quiet you are half the time, you’re always very aware of what goes on around you,” Nicole laughed. 

“I’m observant,” Megan said with a laugh. “So are you going to move out here and live happily ever after with Waverly?” 

“I’m not sure if it’s that easy,” Nicole told her. 

“Don’t complicate it,” Megan warns. “It can be that easy if you let it.” 

“We’ll see,” Nicole shrugs. Megan shook her head at her sister. 

“You’re impossible,” she huffed. Ater using the bathroom, the pair made their way back to their family to gather their bags and board the airplane. Nicole took her seat in the window, next to her brother, who ended up falling asleep for the majority of the flight, leaning on her shoulder. Normally she would have messed with him, but she knew he wasn’t a fan of flying and she really didn’t want to wake him up. She plugged in her headphones and attempted to sleep to make the flight go by faster. 

She woke up just before the plane began its descent. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, feeling the exhaustion of the lack of sleep she had the night before. She tried to stretch her neck after sleeping with it in a strange position, causing it to become stiff. She glanced to her left to see her brother was now awake, playing a game on his phone. She pulled her earbuds out and turned toward him.

“Captain says we’ll be on the ground soon,” Daniel told her, barely glancing up from his phone. 

“Good,” Nicole yawned. “How’s the game going?” she asked, looking down at her brother's phone. 

“I’ve beat my high score 5 times,” he laughed. Nicole laughed and they spent the rest of the flight discussing different game strategies for Daniel to continue to beat his high score. It serves as a distraction for Nicole to keep her mind off of missing Waverly and for her brother’s fear of flying. Once on the ground, Nicole sends Waverly a text letting her know they made it safely on the ground in the city. The text was followed by a sad face emoji. She received a response text right away telling her that she was glad they made it safely and for Nicole to tell her family ‘hi’ from Waverly. Nicole smiled at the text and she thought about how thoughtful Waverly was to think about her family as well. 

  
  
  
  
  


When they returned home to their house, Nicole told her family she’s tired and made her way up to her bedroom. No one protested or asked her if she was okay, probably knowing the answer already. Nicole entered her bedroom, flipped on the lights and set her backpack down on her bed. She plopped down on the edge of her bed and pulled her phone out, sending Waverly a text letting her know that she had made it to her house. She received a response a couple of minutes later, asking if she wanted to facetime. Nicole immediately called Waverly, rather than answering via text message.

“That was quick,” Waverly said when her face appeared on the screen of Nicole’s phone. A smile grew across Nicole’s face at the sight of her face. 

“Maybe I missed you,” Nicole said with a smile. She laid back onto her bed, holding the phone above her face. 

“I definitely miss you,” Waverly told her. Nicole sighed and rolled over on her side.

“How was the rest of your day?” Nicole asked, changing the subject. The topic of missing each other was something she could talk about for days, but it wasn’t going to change anything at the moment. 

“I’m not gonna lie,” Waverly started. “I fell asleep while I knew your flight was in the air,” she smiles, sheepishly. 

“That’s fair,” Nicole laughed. I was so tired, I tried to sleep on the plane,” she told her. 

“Well, someone decided she wasn’t going to sleep last night,” Waverly teased. 

“Because I didn’t want to miss any time with you,” Nicole admitted. She paused for a moment and stared at Waverly looking back at her on the screen of her phone. She thought about how this is how life might have to be for a while until they figure out what’s next. Nicole was determined to not make that last too long though, because the pain of missing Waverly was already too much for her. 

“I know,” Waverly said softly. Nicole sighed louder than she intended, causing Waverly to give her a sympathetic look. “Hey, I should probably go, I told Gus I’d help her with some things around the house tonight.” 

“Okay,” Nicole said. Her tone conveyed a slight whine. 

“You’re cute,” Waverly laughed. Nicole smiled back at her, dimple showing. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” 

Nicole nodded and her smile faded at the thought of having to wait for who knows how long until she can see Waverly’s face again. “I love you, Waverly,” Nicole said, softly. 

“I love you too,” Waverly smiled. “See you later,” she said before hanging up the phone. Nicole continued to start at her phone screen for a few moments before locking it and tossing it on the bed next to her. Fatigue began to take over as she let out a yawn. She thought it was probably a good idea to try to get some sleep so she could start to figure things out the next day. At this point, she knew what she wanted and she wasn’t really interested in waiting any longer than she has to. 

When she climbed under the blankets in her bed, she immediately realized how big and empty it felt. She was able to spread out in the space because Waverly wasn’t there, somehow taking up more than half of the bed with her bonus blankets. The bed didn’t smell like Waverly and no matter how many pillows she stacked by her side, it wasn’t the same. 

Nicole picked up her phone and sent Waverly a text explaining that she was probably going to be falling asleep soon and she wanted to say goodnight before she did. She got a quick goodnight response back right away followed by a kissy face emoji. She smiled at the response and set her phone down on her nightstand before rolling over, pulling a pillow tight to her chest and drifting off to sleep. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next week dragged by. Nicole tried to stay busy. The twins were back in school and their mom was back at work during the days. The house was quiet, too quiet at times. She worked on applications for the police academy. She was ready to start making steps toward the future and she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. She and Waverly tried to make as much time as possible to talk to each other throughout the days and nights. Talking to her and seeing her face over the phone was helpful, but each time she hung up the phone, it hurt a little more.

Nicole would ask Waverly, occasionally, when she thought she’d be able to come visit. She didn’t want to pressure her or get mad at her if she couldn’t. It had only been a week, but the ache in her chest continued to grow. Whenever she did ask, Waverly would give her some generic answer like, “I’m working on it,” or “soon.” While Nicole appreciated that she wasn’t giving her a definite answer when she didn’t have one, most of the time she wished she at least had a date to count down to. She even started looking into times that she would be able to go back to visit Waverly. 

In the second week that she was home, Nicole started picking up shifts at a local bar that was owned by a family friend. She had worked there a bit on and off in high school and whenever she needed to pick up some extra cash from time to time. It helped keep her mind busy so she would do less pining over the life that she actually wanted, or so she thought. By the end of the second week, she came home from a shift at the bar and her mother was sitting at the kitchen table when she entered the house. 

“Shit, mom,” Nicole said as she jumped at the unexpected sight of someone staring back at her. 

“Sorry,” Andrea said, taking a sip of the glass of water that was sitting in front of her. “I was waiting for you.”

“Okay?” Nicole was confused. She shut the door behind her, kicked her shoes off by the door and joined her mother at the table. “What’s up?”

“I just feel like I haven’t seen much of you lately,” Andrea admitted. 

“Our schedules are just way off, I guess,” Nicole shrugged.

“Well, even when we are all home, you’re up in your room all the time,” Andrea said. “It would be nice to see your face every once in a while, Nicky,” her mom smiled back at her. Nicole sighed. She knew her mom wasn’t really reprimanding her, so she shouldn’t really be frustrated with the conversation. She was just tired. She rubbed her face with her hand and looked up at her mother with a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry,” was all she could muster, but she was sincere in her apology. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Andrea asked. 

Nicole looked back at her mother for a moment. She didn’t really want to talk about it but she knew that if she didn’t, her mom wouldn’t stop. “Have you ever figured out exactly what you want out of life, but you can’t make it happen as fast as you want it to?” she asked. 

Andrea nodded. “Unfortunately I think that’s how it usually works, sweetheart.”

“I know,” Nicole groaned. 

“Do you want to tell me what this grand plan is?” Andrea asked. 

“I’m not sure how grand of a plan it is,” Nicole laughed. “But I’ve been working on getting everything together to apply to the police academy near Purgatory. I know it’s far from here, mom, but-”

“I think that’s great, Nicky,” Andrea smiled. Nicole looked back at her shocked for a moment. She knows she shouldn’t be so shocked anymore, her mom has been pretty supportive lately with her and her plans, but something in her still anticipates her mom is going to be mad with her decisions. 

“You sure?” Nicole asked. 

“Yeah,” Andrea smiled. “Listen, Nicole, I trust that you’re going to do what’s best for you. And honestly, I’m happy you’re doing something for you. You’ve done so much for us and I’m forever grateful, but it’s your turn,” she said as she placed her hand on top of Nicole’s. 

Nicole felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. “Thanks, mom,” she said, softly.

“Can I ask a favor though?” Andrea asked. Nicole nodded back at her. “Can we see your face a little more?”

“Yeah,” Nicole laughed. “I’m sorry, mom. I just miss her, you know?” she admitted.

“Me too,” Andrea said with a wink. 

“How about a movie night tomorrow night?” Nicole suggested. “The twins don’t have practice, right?” 

“Nope!” Andrea said. “That sounds nice,” she smiled. “We might have to bribe the kids though. They’ve been doing their own thing a lot lately too,” she laughed.

“I’ll buy gummy worms,” Nicole laughed. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a chance to edit this chapter while flying on an airplane. I’m still on vacation so for those of you reading my other fic, updating that isn’t happening yet, unfortunately, but hopefully soon! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading my stories!

Over the next week, Nicole continued working shifts at the bar when she could, in between spending more time with her family. She had officially sent in everything she needed to apply at the police academy near Purgatory. 

She wasn’t sure if it was something she should run by Waverly first, in fear that she was going to become upset with her about it. After putting a lot of thought into it, Nicole stuck with her gut and continued to make a decision based on what she wanted for her and not for anyone else. That was where she felt the most comfortable, regardless of her relationship with Waverly. 

It was a Friday night and her brother had his first home basketball game at the high school. Andrea told Nicole that she needed to work a little later that night and asked if she would be able to take the twins to the school when they needed to be there. Nicole agreed and entered the gym with her siblings, watching them both run off in different directions, leaving her alone.

Daniel joined a group of basketball players on the court, starting to dribble a ball around. Nicole stopped to watch him for a moment as he shot the ball from the 3 point line and made it in, nothing but net. He really was a natural. She moved her attention in the direction of her sister, who was standing near the edge of the basketball court. She was talking to a boy with longer, sandy, blonde hair. She assumed that it was Will and made a mental note to address that a little later.

Nicole climbed the steps and plopped down on the hard wood of the bleachers. There weren’t very many other people in the gym yet, but it started to fill in as more and more people dropped their kids off for the game. She glanced down at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She sighed when there were no messages, it had been a while since she last heard from Waverly that day, but she knew she was probably busy. She opened up a text and sent a quick ‘I miss you,’ to Waverly before locking the phone and shoving it back into the pocket of her sweatpants, staring ahead of her as her brother and his team start to warm up. 

“Can you look anymore bored?” A voice came from behind her. Nicole glanced up to see a familiar face smiling back at her. She shook her head and forced a smile on her face. 

“Just waiting for my mom,” Nicole said politely. The girl stood up and stepped down onto the level that Nicole was sitting on, taking a seat next to her. 

“So how have you been, Nicky? I’ve tried texting you.” The girl was sitting closer to her than Nicole wanted, but she didn’t want to move away from her and make things awkward. 

“I know, Shae,” Nicole said, softly. “I’ve been good, we had a nice vacation.” She spoke politely to her, even though she wasn’t really someone Nicole wanted to be talking to. This was mostly due to the pictures and texts she was sending her while she was on vacation after Nicole had made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything more than a friendship.

“Meet any cute girls while you were gone?” Shae asked. Nicole rubbed the back of her neck with her hand and shook her head.

“Shae, we’ve been over this,” Nicole sighed. “I just don’t see-”

“I know, I know. Just friends,” Shae said, putting her hands up in front of her. “I’m just making small talk. Besides, I took the hint when you never responded to my texts.”

“Yeah, sorry. I was busy,” Nicole said, trying to come up with an excuse. 

“I can take a hint,” Shae laughed. 

“No, Shae. It’s just-” Nicole trailed off. Movement from the left side of the gym caught her eye. She watched as her mother made her way through the gym that was starting to fill with people. Behind her mother, Nicole caught a glimpse of a shorter brunette girl. She did a double take when she realized she knew who she was. Nicole stood up on the bleachers and started walking toward her mother.

“Waves?!” Nicole’s face lit up and her heart started to race. She rubbed her face hoping she wasn’t imagining it. The one person she had been hoping would walk through the door just did, it couldn’t be real.

“Surprise,” Waverly smiled as she reached the edge of the bleachers where Nicole was now standing.

“I found a stray,” Andrea joked, gesturing behind her at Waverly.

The smile plastered on Nicole’s face still hadn’t faded. “She’s really here?” Nicole asked. Her mother nodded. Nicole hopped down off the bleachers. She instinctively wrapped her arms around the brunette pulling her into a hug. Although she wanted to pick her up and pin her against the wall at this point, but out of respect for Waverly and the high school gym full of basketball game attendees she thought a hug would suffice for now. 

“I can’t believe you’re real,” Nicole whispered, her face was now buried into Waverly’s neck. 

“I’m real,” Waverly smiled, pulling the redhead further into her embrace. 

“What are you doing here?” Nicole asked. She pulled away from Waverly slightly, so she could make eye contact with the brunette. 

“We planned a little surprise for you,” Waverly smiled back at her.

“We?” Nicole asked, confused. 

“Your family and I,” Waverly explained. 

“The twins knew too?” Nicole asked, glancing behind her toward her siblings. Waverly nodded, smiling back at her.

“You guys,” Nicole was now beaming with excitement that Waverly was there.

“So was it good surprise?” Waverly asked. 

“Baby, are you kidding?! I’ve missed you so much,” Nicole told her. She squeezed her hands a little tighter on Waverly’s hips, where they were resting.

“I’ve missed you too, Nicole,” Waverly smiled.

“How’s everything at the resort? How’s everyone?” Nicole started shooting off questions, rapid fire. She wasn’t sure what came over her, but she felt like every emotion she built up over the past couple of weeks was starting to pour out.  Suddenly she was cut off by the sound of the buzzer ringing for the game to start. 

“We better sit, can we talk about all of that later?” Waverly asked. Nicole nodded and led Waverly to the bleachers where her mom was now sitting and Shae had moved back up to where she was previously sitting. 

They sat down next to Nicole’s mom and Nicole rested her hand softly on Waverly’s leg. Waverly slid her hand on top of Nicole’s linking her finger’s with the redhead’s. Nicole smiled and squeezed her hand a little tighter. Throughout the first half of the game, Nicole was having difficulty focusing on what was happening. She felt like she was spending more times stealing glances at Waverly than she was paying attention to her brother and his basketball team.

“You’re going to miss the game,” Waverly whispered, leaning closer to Nicole so she could hear her. 

“I like your face better,” Nicole told her. Waverly grinned at the comment, but continued to look ahead at the game happening in front of her. “Fine,” Nicole huffed as she turned to watch the game. Just then, her brother shot the ball in the air, the buzzer going off. The crowd was silent, watching the ball as it soared through the air and went into the net. The crowd cheered as the score tied up and the game went into half time. 

“Do you want the tour of the school?” Nicole asked, gesturing toward the hallway. “We have a little while between halfs.” 

“Is this your excuse to make out with me in your high school hallways?” Waverly asked, smirking at the redhead. 

“Yes,” Nicole said, matter of factly. 

Waverly grinned and Nicole took her by the hand leading her down the hallway. They made their way in the opposite direction of the gym until Nicole felt that they were far enough away from the crowd of people. She stopped them from walking any further and gently pushed Waverly back against the lockers. Waverly smiled as Nicole brought her face closer to hers, pressing their lips together. The kiss immediately deepened with passion, hands sliding over each other’s bodies. Nicole felt herself partially losing control of her actions, sliding her palm over Waverly’s chest, feeling the skin below tighten under her touch. Waverly let out a small moan in between kisses. She wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist, pulling their bodies closer together. They continued to kiss for a few minutes until Nicole realized where they were again.

“Waves,” she whispered as she pulled away from Waverly slightly. She was still close enough that the brunette’s face was blurry and she could feel her breath on her lips.

“Yeah?” Waverly breathed, eyes still closed. 

“Baby, we’re going to miss the second half of the game.” Nicole placed quick kisses on Waverly’s lips in between words. 

“We better get back then,” Waverly placed a hand gently on Nicole’s chest to seperate them a little further. Nicole groaned, leaned her head back dramatically causing Waverly to laugh. “There’s time for more of this later,” she told her.

“There are so many things I want to do to you right now,” Nicole whispered in Waverly’s ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Waverly playfully pushed Nicole and laughed. “Mm, you’re bad.”

“I haven’t seen you in over three weeks!” Nicole whined. She leaned in once more, laying a few more kisses on Waverly’s lips before pulling away and reaching her hand out for the brunette to take. Nicole linked her fingers between Waverly’s and lead her back down the hall, toward the gym. As they enter the gym, Nicole looked to see brother running drills with the blonde-haired boy that her sister was talking to earlier. 

“Who was that hot chick with your older sister?” Will asked Daniel as they ran a lap around the gym next to each other. 

Daniel lightly shoved him. “First of all, don’t disrespect my sisters!” He warned. “Second of all, if you like Megan, you like her and only her!”

“Whoa, whoa, okay man, I was just curious!” Will said, putting his hands out in from of him as they gathered with the rest of their teammates.

“Also, Waverly is my friend so be respectful to her too,” Daniel warned. 

“Fine, man, I’m sorry!” Will apologized.  

“Why are you pushing my boyfriend?” Megan asked her brother as the two boys sat down on the bench of the bleachers near where Megan was sitting. 

“Keeping him in line,” Daniel grinned. “Do you know where Nicky and Waverly went?”

“Who knows. They were probably doing it in the hallway,” Megan huffed. “If you expect to see her for the next few days, you’re kidding yourself.”

“Wait, what?” Will asked. 

“Don’t even go there,” Megan playfully flicked him on the forehead. 

“Sorry,” he said softly. 

  
  
  


 

“Who’s that?” Waverly asked Nicole, gesturing toward the boy sitting in between the twins on the bench. 

“I’m assuming it’s Megan’s boyfriend, but I haven’t had the chance to grill her yet,” Nicole laughed. 

“Oh, be nice!” Waverly laughed, playfully pushing Nicole’s arm. 

Nicole laughed and shrugged. She’s sure Waverly already knew she was going to grill her with questions anyway. “Did you like the tour?” Nicole asked, changing the subject. 

“Is that how all the tours around here go?” Waverly grinned back at the redhead. 

“That’s just my special tour,” Nicole told her. “Later do you want the special tour of my bedroom?” She gave the brunette a wink. 

“Damn baby, you’re not wasting any time,” Waverly laughed. 

“I can’t help myself,” Nicole slightly whined.

“The answer is ‘yes’ by the way,” Waverly said as she walked past Nicole and headed for where Andrea was sitting on the bleachers. 

“Ugh,” Nicole groaned at the thought. She then followed Waverly like a puppy dog back to the bleachers. There was still a few minutes left on the clock until the game started up again. Nicole felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to see Shae smiling back at her. 

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” She asked. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. Waves, this is Shae,” she said reluctantly, knowing that Waverly most likely already knew that. “Shae, this is Waverly.” 

“Her girlfriend,” Waverly smiled, shaking Shae’s hand. 

“Yes,” Nicole smiled, placing her hand on Waverly’s lower back. “My girlfriend.”

Shae’s eyes widened for a moment. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Waverly,” Shae smiled. The buzzer went off and Nicole and Waverly turned back around to sit down and watch the second half of the game.

Nicole slid her hand on Waverly’s back, feeling the weight of Waverly leaning into her side. She smiled at the feeling, something that she had been missing since she left Waverly back at the ski resort. She felt as if a part of her had been missing and it felt good to have it back, even for a moment. “I love you,” Nicole leaned over and whispered into Waverly’s ear. Waverly leaned her chin on the redhead’s shoulder and grinned back at her, kissing her gently on the cheek.

  
  
  
  


 

After the basketball game, they hung around in the gym waiting for the twins to leave the locker rooms. Megan came back into the gym first. Nicole wanted to start teasing her about her boyfriend right away, but she knew Waverly would scold her. She came out of the locker room wearing a pair of sweatpants and a boy’s basketball hoodie that Nicole assumed wasn’t hers. Behind her, from the boy’s locker room came Daniel and Will. She watched as her sister stopped and smiled at the boy, waiting for him to catch up with her. 

Nicole is suddenly not sure how she feels about her little sister dating. She remembers how she was when she was a freshman in high school and immediately jumps to conclusions about what her sister is up to with this boy. Waverly greeted the twins with hugs while Nicole looked the other boy up and down. Her head filled with questions to ask about his intentions with her sister. She stops to realize he’s still a kid and Megan would probably be mad at her if she did something to scare him off.

“Guys, this is Will,” Megan finally said, introducing the boy to Nicole and Waverly. 

“It’s great to meet you,” Waverly smiled politely, shaking the boy’s hand. 

Nicole stared him up and down a little while longer. She watched as he grew more nervous. He smiled at the older Haught, placing his hand out for her to shake. Nicole finally smiled back at him and shook his hand. She gave her a warning look before letting go of his hand and watched as he swallowed hard. 

“Nicky,” Andrea warned. Nicole laughed as she dropped the boy’s hand. “A few of the guys from the team are coming over tonight,” she told her. “Would you and Waverly be able to pick up the pizza? I just called it in.”

Nicole internally groaned at the fact that she knew she wasn’t able to just go home and be alone with her girlfriend yet. “Sure, mom,” she said through her teeth as she forced a smile on her face. Waverly giggled at her, knowing why she was frustrated. 

“Can I ride with you guys?” Daniel asked his sister. 

“Let’s go,” Nicole said with a nod, gesturing for him to follow them. She took Waverly’s hand in her own and lead them out of the school and into her car. 

  
  
  
  


They arrived back to the house with a stack of pizzas to find Megan in the kitchen with Will and a few other basketball players hanging out. Daniel immediately started to mingle with his friends and Nicole and Waverly set the pizzas on the counter. They stood on one side of the counter, observing the teens as they start to devour the pizza. Waverly rested her hand on Nicole’s lower back. Nicole relaxed under her touch, a feeling she had been missing for weeks. 

“Thank you,” Nicole whispered to Waverly. 

“For what?” Waverly asked as she looked back at the redhead. 

“For coming to see me,” Nicole smiled. “I can’t even begin to explain how much I missed you.” 

“I might have an idea,” Waverly said, pressing her side into Nicole’s a little more. 

“Do you want to tour of the house?” Nicole asked. 

“Is it anything like the tour of the school?” Waverly asked with a smile. 

“It can be,” Nicole winked back at her. She gestured for the brunette to follow her as they left the kitchen. 

“Where are you guys going?” Andrea asked. 

“I was going to give Waverly the tour,” Nicole explained. 

“Okay,” Andrea smiled. “The short version? I might need adult interaction down here,” she laughed. 

“Of course,” Waverly responded before Nicole could protest. Nicole sighed and lead Waverly up the stairs. She gave the brunette a look when they reached the top of the stairs. 

“We almost got away!” Nicole whined. 

“I’d rather not have someone come looking for us,” Waverly explained. 

“Hm, good point,” Nicole laughed. She opened a door in the hallway and gestures for Waverly to enter the room. “This is my room,” Nicole told her as she shut the door behind them. Waverly looked around the room a little. Nicole stopped and watched her as she made her way to a bookshelf and started to look at what books she had. Waverly then made her way to her dresser on the other side of the room and looked at the photos that Nicole had in frames on top of it. Waverly smiled at the photo that Nicole had of her and her dad. 

Nicole made her way over to Waverly and stood behind her. She saw her pick up a frame from the dresser and a smile grew across her face. The photo in the frame was one of her and Waverly when they were younger, when Nicole and her family visited the resort. Waverly turned to look at Nicole, holding the frame up and smiling. 

“I found it in some old boxes the other day,” Nicole smiled. 

“That’s adorable,” Waverly smiled as she placed the frame back on the dresser. She turned to fully face Nicole. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” Nicole smiled, wrapping her arms around Waverly’s waist. 

“In the flesh,” Waverly said. 

“Just the way I like you,” Nicole said with a smile. Waverly turned her head and leaned into Nicole’s chest, listening to her heartbeat when she made contact. “I missed you,” Waverly smiled. 

“Hey,” Nicole whispered, causing Waverly to lift her head. Nicole slid her hand firmly on the back of Waverly’s head, pulling her into a kiss. The kiss was soft at first but quickly deepened. Waverly’s tongue quickly darted into Nicole’s mouth, brushing lightly against her tongue. “Mm,” Nicole moaned quietly. She moved her hands from the back of Waverly’s head to placing one where it was cupping her cheek, thumb brushing lightly on her neck. She dropped her other hand to Waverly’s lower back to the skin under her shirt. 

Waverly slowly started to lead Nicole backward toward the bed that was behind her. When Nicole felt the bed behind her, she slowly laid back on it, feeling Waverly climb on top of her. Nicole smiled up at the brunette, examine ever bit of her that she could see. She suddenly remembered that she told her mom they’d be back downstairs. She groaned and threw her head back onto the bed as the blood slowly returned to her brain.

“You okay?” Waverly asked.

“We have to go back downstairs,” Nicole whined. Waverly sighed, dropping her head into the crook of Nicole’s neck. 

“I’m sorry,” Waverly apologized. “I got a little carried away,” she admitted. 

“Trust me, I don’t mind,” Nicole laughed. Waverly slowly climbed off of Nicole, allowing the redhead to stand up from the bed. She straightened her clothes a little to make their makeout session a little less obvious and made her way to the door. With one more sigh, Nicole opened the door and gestured for Waverly to follow her back downstairs. 

“I almost thought you ditched me,” Andrea teased as the pair made their way back downstairs.

“Oh, no,” Waverly laughed. Nicole rolled her eyes but her mom didn’t see. Waverly gave her a warning look. “Be nice,” she whispered to Nicole. 

“Fine,” Nicole huffed. Waverly gestured with one finger for her to come close and Nicole leaned in.

“You be nice now and I’ll give you  _ whatever _ you want later,” she whispered, squeezing Nicole’s ass with her hand. Nicole swallowed hard and nodded her head without words, feeling herself become more turned on at the thought. 

They ended up playing cards with Nicole’s mom at the table while the kids moved into the living room to watch a movie. Every once in a while, Nicole would try to glance in to keep and eye on her sister. From what she could see, there was still enough space between her and Will for her not to be worried. Meanwhile, she feels Waverly’s hand that had been sitting on her thigh start to wander further up her leg, distracting her from her thoughts. 

Nicole shot Waverly a smile that quickly turned sympathetic when she laid down a card that caused the brunette to have to skip her next turn. “Hey!” Waverly whined. 

“It’s the only card I could play!” Nicole protested. Waverly laughed and gave her a playfully, warning look. Nicole stuck out a pouting lip, causing Waverly to laugh. Andrea watched the pair in adoration. 

 

 

 

As the night went on, the more Waverly began to yawn at the table. They finished the game that they were playing and Andrea agreed that she would be fine with the kids if they wanted to go to bed. She understood that Waverly must have been tired from traveling. 

Nicole is internally more excited to finally be alone with her girlfriend than she was acting as she stood up from the table. The pair said goodnight to Andrea and the kids in the other room and made their way up the stairs, back into Nicole’s room. 

Nicole locks the door behind them and turns to see Waverly digging through her suitcase for clothes. “Do you have to wear clothes?” Nicole asked. Waverly smiled up at the redhead and shook her head. She slowly started to remove her clothing, starting with her shirt. Nicole watched as more skin was revealed. She made her way over to Waverly, helping her unclasp her bra. She watched at the piece of clothing fell from Waverly’s body and hit the floor. “Mm,” was all Nicole could say as she made contact with Waverly’s chest, first with her hand, then with her mouth. She heard Waverly gasp at the feeling as she took one of her already hard nipples into her mouth. 

Nicole reached down with her right hand and began to undo Waverly’s jeans as she continued laying kisses across her chest. Waverly took a sharp breath in, starting to tug at Nicole’s shirt. Nicole looked up and smiled, allowing Waverly to help her lift her shirt over her head. Nicole discarded her shirt to the floor and brought her lips back to Waverly’s skin, this time on her neck. 

After unbuttoning Waverly’s jeans she started to push them down, with the help of the brunette, lips still leaving a trail of kisses down Waverly’s neck. She moved down to her collarbone, back down her chest. Waverly let out a small moan, keeping in mind that they were not alone in the house. Nicole could hear the brunette’s breathing speeding up the further she moved down her body. Dropping to her knees, she laid kisses across Waverly’s abdomen, feeling the muscles tighten under her touch. 

Nicole smiled up at Waverly, who was now looking down and making eye contact with her. She took a deep breath in before leaning back in to lay kisses down Waverly’s thighs. Everything in her wanted to dive right in, but she gained a little self control and decided to take her time. She could feel Waverly becoming more antsy the more she kissed around her center. 

“Baby,” Waverly breathed as she grasped Nicole’s shoulders with her fingers, grounding herself a little more. Nicole flashed Waverly a dimpled smile before bringing her mouth closer to her center, steadying her breathing before licking a long stroke into Waverly’s wetness. Waverly took in a sharp breath, throwing her head back. She parted her legs a little further, allowing the redhead more access as she continued running strokes between her legs. Nicole grabbed the back of Waverly’s thighs, bracing herself to continue her movements. 

“Fuck,” Waverly let out a bit of a stifled moan. Hearing the sounds Waverly was making caused Nicole to speed up her movements, pushing further into the brunette’s center. She could feel herself becoming more and more turned on at this. Moments later, she looked back up at Waverly, who was gesturing with one finger for her to come to her. Nicole grinned and stood up, Waverly immediately connected lips with her and lead her to the bed. “I’ve missed you,” Waverly breathes as Nicole hovers over her body. 

“I’ve missed you too,” Nicole grinned as she slid her hand down Waverly’s body, continuing to hover over her. Her fingers quickly find Waverly’s wetness again and she begins to rub circles using her middle finger. Waverly quickly tilted her head up to kiss Nicole, deepening the kiss right away. Nicole slid her tongue against Waverly’s as she felt the brunette moan into her mouth. Nicole continued to leave kisses down Waverly’s jawline, to her neck. She felt the brunette throw her head back further on the pillow and start to move her hips at a rhythm with Nicole’s hand. Nicole slid two fingers into Waverly, pumping in and out at a steady pace. 

Her lips found Waverly’s chest, taking her nipple into her mouth. She ran her tongue over the skin and Waverly took a deep breath in. Nicole continued with her tongue on Waverly’s chest, moving her hand faster until she heard Waverly tell her she was close to coming. She quickly brought her mouth to the brunette’s, feeling her moan against her mouth as she came. 

Nicole slowly moved her hand from between Waverly’s legs to her side, laying soft kisses on the exposed skin on her shoulder and face. Waverly smiled back at her and sighed. “Wow,” she said. Nicole grinned, proud of herself for a moment. 

  
  
  
  


Nicole opened her eyes the next morning to find Waverly laying against her side with her arm draped over Nicole’s torso. She turned her head to see the brunette smiling back at her. “Creep,” she laughed. 

“What?” Waverly asked. “I’ve only been watching you sleep for like an hour,” she teased.

“You always wake up so early,” Nicole laughed. 

“I don’t like to miss out on any possibilities for the day!” Waverly said in a cheery tone. 

Nicole groaned and covered her face up with the blanket. Waverly laughed and pulled at the blanket, uncovering Nicole’s face. 

“I really missed this,” Nicole sighed. 

“Me too, baby,” Waverly smiled as she rested her head on Nicole’s chest.

“Waking up without you every morning is definitely not a life I want to live,” Nicole admitted. 

“What kind of life do you want to live?” Waverly asked. She propped her head up on her elbow so she could see Nicole’s face.

“One with you,” Nicole said. She was a little reluctant as the words came out of her mouth. She didn’t want to scare the brunette at all but she always wanted to be honest about how she felt. “How have things been at the resort?”

“Really good, actually,” Waverly smiled. “Thank you for doing what you did.”

“I couldn’t let things get any worse for you guys,” Nicole told her. 

“I know, and I really do appreciate that,” Waverly said, sincerely. 

“I was thinking about everything a lot lately. It’s amazing how much time you have to think when you’re not distracted,” Nicole told her. 

“Oh am I the distraction?” Waverly teased. 

“Have you seen you?” Nicole said, looking Waverly up and down. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Waverly huffed. “So what have you been thinking about?”

“The future. What I actually want to do with life,” Nicole told her. 

“And?”

“Hear me out?” Nicole asked. She was a little nervous to have this conversation, but what better time than then? Waverly nodded, allowing the redhead to talk. 

“Okay, so I sent in my application for the police academy,” Nicole started. 

“Baby! That’s amazing!” Waverly cheered. 

“Near Purgatory-” she waited for Waverly’s reaction, hoping that it was a good one. Waverly took a breath. She didn’t want to jump to accusing Nicole of making a decision based on her. “I don’t want you to think I’m making irrational decisions but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I miss being closer to you too, Waves,” Nicole admitted. “I wish I could be there to help with the resort more. Not that I want to take that away from you guys but I’d like to help,” she continued. 

“Nicole-”

“Not that I want to force you to let me help or anything,” Nicole continued. “I just want you to know I want to be there. We don’t have to necessarily move in together if that’s too much,” she continued to ramble. 

“Babe-” Waverly tried to talk again. 

Nicole paused. She felt like the words were going to continue to fall out of her mouth and she wasn’t going to be able to stop. She looked back at the brunette in front of her, trying to read her facial expression, which was probably more obvious that she realized. 

“You’re thinking really hard right now,” Waverly smiled as she placed her hand on Nicole’s cheek. 

“Sorry,” Nicole blushed. 

“I’d love for you to be there.” Waverly finally spoke the answer to the question that Nicole was afraid to ask. 

“You would?” Nicole wasn’t sure why that shocked her so much. 

“Very much,” Waverly smiled. 

“Maybe we could start working on,” she paused, swallowing the rest of her words. In her excitement she didn’t realize that she was suddenly having word vomit. She wanted to mention Waverly’s plans for the cabin but stopped herself. That was Waverly’s plan and not something she wanted to take away from her. 

“Would you want to help?” Waverly asked, knowing very well what she was talking about. 

“Only if you wanted me to,” Nicole time her. “I wouldn’t want to step on your toes or take anything away from you.” 

“Nicole,” Waverly began. “When I showed that to you, I had all intentions of wanting you to be involved.”

“You did?” Nicole asked, her face beaming. 

“I did. If you’re serious and want to move out there, first, it has to be totally your decision. Not mine, not your mom’s, not the twins’, yours.” She poked a finger over Nicole’s heart. Nicole nodded. “And second, if you’re coming out there, I’m ready to do this,” she gestured between the two of them. 

Nicole’s face lit up even more and she quickly connected her lips to Waverly’s. The kiss was quick, but passionate. “Really?” Nicole asked when she pulled away. “You’re ready to uhaul it with me?” she laughed. 

Waverly laughed and kissed Nicole lightly on the cheek. “I was ready a few weeks ago,” she told her. 

“So can I come tomorrow?” Nicole asked. 

“Slow down there,” Waverly laughed. “I haven’t even been here for 24 hours yet.”

“Okay,” Nicole whined, causing Waverly to laugh again.

“You’re adorable,” Waverly smiled. 


	18. Chapter 18

Waverly spent the next week with Nicole and her family in the city. Nicole spent the days showing her around the city. She laughed at the comments Waverly made about how different life must be in the city than it was where she grew up. Waverly agreed to sit down with her when she talked to her mom about officially deciding to move to Purgatory. They agreed that Waverly would go back at the end of the week as planned and Nicole would move in the next couple of weeks when she had everything together and loose ends tied up in the city. 

The pair spent a lot of their time together talking about their future together. They’d stay up late, dreaming about what the future could be like. Nicole had never felt so comfortable with another human being and couldn’t imagine spending her life any other way. 

“And we’ll tell our grandkids how we knew each other as little kids,” Nicole said as she went through items in a box, packing up what she needed for her move to Purgatory. 

“Until their grandmother was a jerk and didn’t know I existed?” Waverly teased. 

“Hey, now!” Nicole protested, putting her hands out in front of her. “Don’t tell our grandkids about my lapse in judgement!” 

“I like how we have grandkids before we even have kids,” Waverly laughed. 

“Just go with it,” Nicole laughed. “I’m so over this packing thing,” she whined. 

“You’ve been doing it for 10 minutes,” Waverly told her. Nicole made her way over to where Waverly was sitting on the bed. She leaned down and kissed her. 

“But there’s so many other things I’d rather be doing,” Nicole grinned at Waverly.

“But the sooner you get this done, the sooner you can move,” Waverly informed her. “And then we can do  _ that  _ whenever we want.” She smiled up at the redhead, placing her hands on the back of her legs.

“Do you really have to leave tomorrow?” Nicole groaned, tucking loose hairs behind Waverly’s ear. “You can just stay until I move!” Her eyes lit up at the idea that she knew wasn’t actually going to happen.

“I wish, babe,” Waverly sighed. “But you obviously aren’t getting any of this done with me here,” she laughed, gesturing to the empty bags and boxes on the floor of Nicole’s bedroom.

“I will!” Nicole told her. 

“Nicole,” Waverly said in a whine. “I unfortunately have to work,” she sighed. 

“I know,” Nicole gave her a pouting lip. 

“But listen,” Waverly said. She wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist, causing her to lean down again, pulling closer to her body. “At least we know the next time we see each other we won’t have to leave again.” 

“Until I go to the police academy,” Nicole reminded her, kissing her softly on the nose.

“Babe!” Waverly whined. She dramatically threw herself back onto the bed, causing Nicole to break out into laughter.

“Sorry,” Nicole laughed. She leaned down and laid a kiss on Waverly’s lips. “That’s only if I get in,” she said. She turned and plopped down on the bed next to her girlfriend. 

“I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that,” Waverly said confidently. Nicole laid back on the bed and turned her head to see Waverly’s face, smiling back at her. She loved how supportive she was, even if it meant they would be away from each other again, she knew in the end it would all be worth it. 

  
  
  
  


When Waverly left the city, Nicole thought that it would be easier saying goodbye, since she knew when she would be seeing her again. She wasn’t exactly right. She still felt pain in her chest when she gave Waverly one last kiss before watching her turn and go through security. She was able to choke back the tears, remembering that it wasn’t a forever thing. 

The next couple of weeks dragged by. They were filled with Nicole packing, complaining about packing, FaceTiming with Waverly, and complaining about packing to her. She also started to realize that her moving meant she wasn’t going to be seeing her family as often anymore. At first she didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, but the closer it got to moving day, the more she realized she was going to miss them too. 

“So, you’re really moving,” Andrea sighed as she sat down on the bed next to her daughter. 

“I know, mom. I’m sorry,” Nicole said. 

“Hey, don’t be sorry, I’m happy for you!” Andrea smiles. 

“Thanks for letting me do this,” Nicole said, softly. 

“Nicky, you don’t need my permission to do great things,” Andrea said, nudging her softly with her elbow. 

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole smiled back at her mother. 

“Are you sure you have everything?” Andrea asked. Nicole laughed. Her mom could be such a worrier some days, but she knew she was just looking out for her. 

“I’ll be back, even if I did,” she told her. 

“And Waverly will be at the airport to get you?” Andrea asked. 

“You think Waverly Earp would just leave me hanging?” Nicole teased. 

“Did you send her your flight info?” Andrea asked. 

“Yes, mom,” Nicole nodded. 

“And you’ll be back for the twins’ birthday?” Andrea continued with the questions. 

“We both will,” Nicole smiled at the thought that life, from now on, wouldn’t be just what she’s doing. She’ll now have a partner in crime, a partner in life to do things and go places with. 

“And we’ll visit for Christmas,” Andrea told her. 

“I know mom,” Nicole laughs softly. “We’ve been over this.”

“I’m sorry,” Andrea sighed. “You’re my first born, Nicky,” she smiled. “But you’ll always be my baby.” Tears began to form in her eyes. 

“I know mom. I love you,” Nicole said, wrapping her arm around her mom’s shoulder. They sat in silence for a moment until Andrea stood up and asked her once more if she’s sure she has everything. Nicole laughed and repeated the conversation again. When her mother left the room, she turned to look at her bags, deciding to double check to make sure she had everything that she needed. Her phone started to ring and she answered it quickly, placing it to her ear. 

“Hey, baby,” she smiled as she spoke. 

“Hey! How’s it going?” Waverly’s voice came through the phone.  

“Just finishing up packing. I think I’m making my mom a little sad,” Nicole said, softly.  

“Awe, why?” Waverly asked. 

“I think it’s just different from when I went to college,” Nicole explained. “I at least came back.” She started to think about how it was going to be harder to come back home when she felt homesick. But she knew she was making the right decision.  

“Well, we are visiting in like a month and a half!” Waverly said, trying to cheer her up a little more. 

“I know, it’s just hard on her,” Nicole sighed. “I guess I didn’t think about it. I was excited,” she said in a guilty tone. 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asked. “This is still what you want, right?” 

“Oh, yeah!” Nicole assured her. “It’s just bitter sweet, you know? I can’t wait to see you though,” she smiled.  

“I can’t wait either,” Waverly sighed. “Do you have everything you need?” she asked.  

“Yeah, if I forget something I’ll bring it when we come back for the twins’ birthday,” she explained.

“Did you double check your flight information?” Waverly asked. 

“You’re starting to sound like my mother,” Nicole laughed, plopping down on her bed. 

“Sorry,” Waverly laughed. “How about I let you go finish packing. You’re having family game night tonight?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” Nicole said. “Dan’s idea,” she laughed. 

“I’m sad I’m missing it,” Waverly said with a slight whine. 

“Soon enough,” Nicole told her. “I’m sure he’ll have plenty planned for when we’re back in April,” she laughed. 

“I’ll bring the worms,” Waverly teased.  

“Man, he’s going to love you more than he loves me,” Nicole joked. 

“Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Waverly assured her. “I love you Nicole, I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” 

“I love you too,” Nicole said. She didn’t want to hang up the phone, but she knew soon enough they wouldn’t be having a relationship over the phone. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Left hand red!” Daniel called out as he watched his sisters trying to stretch across the Twister board. 

“This game is so not fair,” Megan whined. “Nicky is like ten feet tall!” 

“You’ll catch up,” Nicole laughed as she strained to put her hand on the red spot. 

“Yeah right,” Megan huffed. “I got cursed with mom’s genes!” 

“Hey now!” Andrea called out. “I don’t think these genes are that bad!” She gestures to herself. 

“Well, they’re bad in the height category,” Megan laughed. 

“Right foot green!” Daniel called out. 

“You’re doing that on purpose now!” Megan whined. Nicole laughed at her sister as she struggled to move her foot all the way to the other side of the Twister board.

“We can pick a different game,” Nicole told her. 

“Well now I’m determined!” Megan told her causing Nicole to laugh, shaking her head at her sister. 

The night continued with two more games in Twister until Nicole protested starting a third. Daniel then tried to convince the family to play Monopoly but Nicole reminded him she needed sleep. Although whenever he was the banker, the game seemed to move quicker because he definitely always cheated. They agreed on playing a few rounds of UNO before Nicole decided it was time to get some sleep before her flight in the morning. 

She made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. As she turned around to close the door, she heard a soft knock on the door frame. She looked to see her brother standing in the doorway. 

“Can I come in?” He asked. Nicole smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to join her. He smiled and plopped down on her bed.

“What’s up?” Nicole asked. 

“It sucks you’re leaving,” Daniel admitted. “I mean, I get it. But it sucks.” 

“I know, bud,” Nicole sighed and sat on the bed next to him. “I’ll be back and you can call me anytime.” 

“It just won’t be the same, you know?” Daniel said. Nicole nodded and began to think about how she’s going to miss out on a lot of things in Daniel and Megan’s lives while they’re in high school. She assured him she would be back for as many important events as possible. 

There’s another soft knock on the doorframe and in walked Megan. “Are you two having a heart to heart without me?” She asked. 

 

“You’re just in time,” Nicole laughed. Megan ran in and plopped down on the bed on the other side of Nicole. Nicole smiled at her sister, who she felt she had just been growing closer with and now she’s leaving. “I just want you guys to know that me leaving has nothing to do with me not wanting to be here with you guys.”

“We know that,” Megan assured her. “I mean, I’m a little bitter that you’re leaving me here with him,” she gestured toward her brother with a laugh. 

“Hey!” Daniel whined. “You make it sound like living with you is a cakewalk!” 

“Okay, children,” Nicole laughed, putting her hands up in the air between them. 

“I’m just kidding,” Megan said, laughing. “I’m just glad you’re doing what makes you happy, Nicky.” 

“And we have a sweet place to visit!” Daniel added. 

“We will visit as much as possible as well,” Nicole reminded them. 

“At least you’ll have time to maybe become as good as me on a snowboard now,” Daniel teased, nudging her lightly. Nicole rolled her eyes at her brother and laughed. They continued to lay in Nicole’s bed together, laughing and talking for at least another hour before they all ended up passing out next to each other. 

  
  
  
  


Nicole’s alarm went off the next morning, causing her to jump awake. She looked to her sides to see her siblings still passed out next to her. She smiled to herself at the sight as she slowly climbed out of bed, attempting not to wake them. After she showered, she made her way back into her room and sent Waverly a quick good morning text, telling her she couldn’t wait to see her later. She then dramatically jumped back in the bed to wake her siblings, who were less than pleased with that tactic. They spent the morning eating breakfast and spending time together before she needed to be dropped off at the airport. The airport goodbyes were bittersweet and she laughed at the amount of texts she received from her brother between the time they dropped her off and the time her flight took off. 

The flight felt long and flying alone didn’t give Nicole much to distract herself from her thoughts. She was excited to be making the move to Purgatory. She was happy she was making a choice for herself and she was ready to spend more time with Waverly and start their life together. She then started to become nervous. Maybe her feels were too strong, too fast. Maybe she would move in with Waverly and realize they weren’t meant to be together. She’s never lived with anyone other than her family. She hasn’t even thought about having to share her space with a significant other. What if they end up annoying each other? What if she’s annoying? What if Waverly thinks she snores too loud? 

“This is your captain speaking,” a voice came over the loudspeaker of the plane, breaking Nicole from her ridiculous thoughts. She rubbed her face with her hands and pulled an earbud out to hear what he was saying. “Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you,” the intercom system clicked before the sound of passengers shuffling and talking to each other filled the cabin. 

Nicole tried to keep the negative thoughts from her head as the plane landed safely on the ground. She didn’t want her insecurities to hinder anything great that she could have in her life. And deep down she knew that when she exited the aircraft and made her way through the terminal, she would see the best life she could ever imagine in the eyes of her best friend. 

Seeing Waverly on the other side of security was like a breath of fresh air. She stood off to the side, wearing Nicole’s hoodie and holding a small, handmade, that read ‘welcome home, Nicole Haught’ on it. Nicole shook her head at her girlfriend, grinning back at her. Every doubt she had in her mind disappeared as she made her way up to Waverly, wrapping her arms tightly around the brunette. 

“Hi,” she whispered, burying her face into the crook over Waverly’s neck. She took a deep breath in, taking in the scent of her girlfriend. 

“You okay?” Waverly asked, causing Nicole to slowly lift her head from the brunette’s neck. 

“Long flight,” Nicole sighed. 

“How about we get you home then?” Waverly asked. “Are you hungry?” 

“Just tired,” Nicole sighed. The sound of Waverly bringing her home was like music to her ears. She stepped back a little further to be able to focus on Waverly. “My god you’re beautiful,” she sighed. 

A smile grew across Waverly’s face and she took Nicole’s hand in her own. “I love you,” she said as she lead Nicole out of the airport. 

  
  
  
  


“How was your last night with your family?” Waverly asked on the way back to the resort from the airport. 

“It was fun, we played a lot of Twister,” Nicole said with a laugh. 

“Twister?” Waverly asked. 

“Yeah, Dan loves it,” she laughed. “Then I ended up hanging out with them until we passed out.”

“Oh, yeah,” Waverly said. “I got this cute picture from your mom,” she gestured toward her phone that was sitting in the cup holder between the seats. 

“Wait, what? Let me see!” Nicole said, reaching for Waverly’s phone. 

“No, it’s mine!” Waverly protested, swatting her hand away. 

“Waves!” Nicole whined.  

“Fine,” Waverly sighed as she handed her phone to the redhead. Nicole opened the phone to revealed a photo of her and her siblings fast asleep next to each other after they stayed up late talking. 

“Oh god,” Nicole laughed, embarrassed.

“It’s adorable,” Waverly cooed. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole rolled her eyes. “I’ll miss them,” she said, softly.

“I know, I miss them too,” Waverly told her. She placed her hand on Nicole’s thigh, squeezing it slightly. 

“I’m glad I’m here though,” Nicole assured her, placing her hand on top of Waverly’s. 

“Me too,” Waverly smiled, stealing a quick glance at the redhead as she continued driving down the road. 

  
  
  
  
  


If there’s one thing Nicole had learned from living with Waverly, it was that she woke up entirely too early for her liking. It was always a battle over the bathroom too. Between Waverly getting up at the crack of dawn, stealing the bathroom right away, to Wynonna spending ridiculous amounts of time doing who knows what, it at least gave her an excuse to just sleep in a little in the morning. 

Her favorite part of the morning was after Waverly would take a shower, she always took time to crawl back into bed with Nicole, even for just a few moments if that’s all she had. She had been in Purgatory for almost 2 weeks and this had been how every morning started. 

Nicole squinted her eyes open to see her girlfriend slowly making her way back into the bedroom and climbing into bed. She smiled and wrapped her arm Waverly’s body. She relaxed in the warmth of the brunette’s body against her own. “I missed you,” Nicole sighed, closing her eyes again. 

“You were sleeping,” Waverly laughed. “You probably didn’t even know I was gone.” 

“I always know,” Nicole grinned, eyes still closed. 

“You’re such a smooth talker, Haught,” Waverly said, pressing a kiss on the bridge of Nicole’s nose. The kiss came as a surprise to Nicole, causing her to open her eyes. 

“It’s the truth though,” Nicole assured her. “Have I ever told you that this is my favorite time of the day?” She asked. 

“It is?” Waverly asked. 

Nicole nodded. No matter how little time they had together in the morning, time always seemed to slow down. Every small moment with Waverly made her move to Purgatory more worth it. Waverly smiled and leaned her head in, resting it against the redhead’s. Nicole closed her eyes again, for a moment. 

“It’s mine too,” Waverly whispered, causing Nicole to smile. She wasn’t sure how she could feel this in love with another human being. 

  
  
  
  
  


The rest of the day was spent with Waverly and Nicole working around the resort. For the most part they took care of different things, rather than working directly together. Although Nicole thought she wanted to spend all of her time with the brunette, she knew some space was healthy so she didn’t mind when Waverly worked in different areas of the resort. Nicole had been spending a lot of her time on the mountain, working with the crew up there, learning the ins and outs of operations and instruction. She found a lot of joy in helping people learn how to snowboard whenever she could. She knew with the warmer weather coming things would soon change, so she enjoyed it while she could. She was, however, excited to spend the summer at the ski resort, something she had never done before. 

That night, Wynonna and Dolls has gone out to dinner together and Gus was having dinner with some friends of hers that were visiting the resort. Waverly and Nicole decided they wanted to have a date night in and cook dinner together. Nicole beat Waverly back to the house and decided she needed to take a shower before their date night. She was happy that the house was empty when she arrived home so she didn’t have to fight anyone for the bathroom. She made her way into their bedroom, gathering clean clothes before making her way into the bathroom. She stripped her clothes off and started the water, getting the temperature warm enough for her to climb in. She pulled the curtain back and turned to climb into the shower as she heard the bathroom door swung open behind her. She glanced at the door to see Wynonna in the doorway. Nicole jumped into the tub, pulling the shower curtain closed behind her. 

“Wynonna!” She yelled. The sound of the brunette laughing filled the room. 

“Damn, Haught, I see what my sister likes about you now,” Wynonna teased. 

“Wynonna,” Nicole repeated. Her tone displaying strong annoyance. “Have you ever heard of knocking?” 

“I didn’t know anyone was home!” Wynonna protested. 

“Well, surprise! I am!” Nicole huffed. “I thought you were going on to dinner tonight.” 

“I am!” Wynonna told her. “I just needed to change and use the bathroom, but apparently I can’t do that yet,” she huffed. 

“I’ll be done soon,” Nicole assured her. “But please, get out!” She insisted. 

“Fine!” Wynonna whined. Nicole heard the door click and she quickly glanced out to see if she was really gone.    
  


“Have you seen Nicole?” Waverly asked her sister as she made her way up the stairs a few moments later. 

“Too much of her,” Wynonna said, matter of factly. 

“What does that mean?” Waverly asked, confused. Wynonna gestured toward the bathroom where Waverly could hear the water of the shower running.  Her eyes widened when she realized what she meant and she stomped down the hallway, opening the bathroom door without knocking. 

“I swear to god, Wynonna!” Nicole yelled. 

“It’s me,” Waverly said. 

Nicole moved the curtain enough to see on the other side of it. Waverly looked slightly concerned. “Oh,” Nicole said softly. “Your sister doesn’t know how to knock,” she huffed. 

“I’m sorry,” Waverly sighed. “I’ll talk to her.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Nicole said. “You’re just not the only Earp to see me naked now,” she laughed a little. 

“Damnit,” Waverly huffed. “I better be the only Earp to touch you naked,” she pointed a warning finger at Nicole

“You have nothing to worry about there,” Nicole laughed. Waverly smiled and leaned in, kissing Nicole on the lips. 

“I’ll be downstairs,” she smiled as she left the bathroom, allowing Nicole to finish her shower. 

After she showered, Nicole made her way downstairs to find Waverly in the kitchen, getting the food ready for them to cook it. She stopped for a moment in the doorway to watch her as she moved with ease around the kitchen. All Nicole could think about was spending the rest of her life with this woman. She thought about what it would be like when they finally had their own place. She thought about the possibility of raising kids with Waverly at the resort. And she thought about growing old with the brunette by her side. 

Waverly looked up to see Nicole staring back at her with a smile on her face. “What are you staring at?” Waverly asked. 

“My future,” Nicole said. She realized when the words came out of her mouth it was probably one of the most cheesy things she had ever said. But from the look on Waverly’s face, she didn’t mind. Nicole flashed her a dimpled smile and Waverly gestured with one finger  for her to join her in the kitchen. 

When Nicole approached her, Waverly leaned up and placed a kiss on Nicole’s mouth. After cooking dinner tonight, the pair sat down at the table to eat.

“I can’t wait to have our own place,” Nicole smiled at Waverly from across the table. 

“I’m really sorry about Wynonna,” Waverly huffed. 

“No,” Nicole told her. “That’s not what I mean. I just look at you and dream about the home we’ll have, the life we’ll have,” she smiled.

“You ready to start working on our home then?” Waverly grinned. Nicole nodded.

“You take the lead and I’ll follow,” Nicole told her. She still didn’t want to step on Waverly’s toes. She knew this was her plan from the beginning, with or without Nicole. 

“Let’s do it together,” Waverly smiled. She placed a hand on top of Nicole’s from across the table. Nicole smile back at her, feeling her heart swell at the thought of Waverly making her a part of her life willingly and so easily. 


	19. Chapter 19

Nicole had lived in Purgatory with Waverly for close to two months. They began working to fix up the cabin that Waverly showed her the plans to. They were hoping to live in it by the end of the year, hopefully sooner. They figured the less time they were living with Wynonna, the better. It wasn’t that she was even around that often, but the talk of their life in their own house had become more of a daily topic and they were ready to start the dream as soon as they could. With the prospect of Nicole starting the police academy by the next spring, she was really determined to make the house their home before she had to leave for a bit. 

Construction was put on hold for a week while the pair returned to the city for the twins’ birthday. Wynonna agreed to drop the pair off at the airport for their trip.

“Let me know when you land?” Wynonna asks as she hugs Nicole and Waverly by the curb at the airport. 

“Sure, mom,” Nicole teased. 

“Man, I’m going to miss your retorts,” Wynonna said, sarcastically. 

“You’re just mad that someone can give you a run for your money,” Waverly laughed. 

“Sure,” Wynonna huffed. 

“You’ll miss me,” Nicole teased. 

“At least I get a week of not having to listen to you two bang in the room next to mine,” Wynonna said, shooting a wink at the redhead. 

“Like you’re innocent,” Waverly rolled her eyes. Wynonna gave Waverly a hug and told her that she loved her and to be safe, before the pair made their way into the airport. 

“I like this,” Nicole said, leaning into Waverly’s side a little as they waited in the security line. 

“What?” Waverly asked, looking up at the redhead. 

“Going to the airport together and not having to say goodbye,” Nicole smiled. Waverly grinned and wrapped her arms around Nicole’s lower back, pulling her closer to her body

They spent the time before their flight casually talking and watching random videos on Nicole’s phone. She had one earbud in, sharing the other one with Waverly. The time passed quickly before they were boarding the plane. Nicole and Waverly took their seats in the back of the plane. When no one sat in the aisle seat next to them, Waverly was excited she could stretch out a little more than usual. 

This was the first flight Nicole didn’t try to sleep on in a while. Having Waverly with her definitely helped. About halfway through the flight, she noticed Waverly seemed a bit uncomfortable. 

“You okay?” Nicole asked. 

“Planes make me a little nervous,” Waverly admitted, softly. 

“And you did it all on your own to come see me?” Nicole asked. She intertwined her fingers with the brunette’s. 

“You’re worth it,” Waverly told her. “But I’m glad your with me this time,” she smiled. 

“Always.” Nicole kisses her softly on the cheek. “Are you cold? I have a blanket.” She pulled the blanket out of her backpack, unfolding it and draping it over Waverly’s lap. 

“Thank you,” Waverly said. 

Nicole placed her hand on Waverly’s thigh, under the blanket, slowly rubbing circles on her leg with her thumb. Waverly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, feeling a calm come over her with the redhead’s touch. 

“I know something that could take your mind off of it,” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s ear. She placed a kiss on the brunette’s neck, just above her collarbone, nipping gently at the skin with her teeth. A smile grew across Waverly’s lips, eyes still closed. 

Waverly placed her hand over Nicole’s hand, sliding it slowly between her legs, giving the redhead permission to proceed. Nicole glanced down the aisle to see if anyone was nearby before she slid her hand beneath the waistband of Waverly's pants. Waverly took a sharp breath in at the feeling of Nicole touching her. She quickly looked around her, hoping she wasn’t being too obvious. She pushed her hips further into the redhead’s hand, keeping the blanket over her lap. Nicole moved her hand further down and slowly ran her fingers through Waverly’s wetness. Waverly turned her head to look at Nicole. She didn’t speak, but made strong eye contact with the redhead as she attempted to keep her breathing steady, avoiding getting caught. Nicole continued to rub circles, speeding up the pace as she went on. Waverly's breath began to speed up and she tried to keep it steady. She turned her head, digging her face into Nicole’s shoulder, biting down on it softly. 

“I’m so close,” she whispered in the redhead’s ear after a few moments. That was all Nicole needed to hear as she sped up her movements, feeling Waverly coming on her hand. She kept her hand in place for a moment, allowing the brunette to regain her composer before she slid her hand out of Waverly’s pants. She leaned her head over, connecting lips with the brunette’s. “I suddenly love flying,” Waverly laughed. 

  
  
  
  
  


The flight landed smoothly and the pair exited the plane together. Nicole sent her mom a quick text letting her know they had arrived and she told them to meet her in baggage claim. As they approached the area, they saw her mom smiling back at them. Nicole smiled and let go of Waverly’s hand, walking over to give her mom a hug. She didn’t realize how much she had missed her until she saw her again. 

“I missed you,” Nicole said in almost a whisper as she hugged her mom. 

“I missed you too,” Andrea said. Waverly approached the pair a moment later and hugged Andrea as well. “How are you guys? How was the flight?” She asked. 

“It was fine,” Nicole told her. “We’ve been good!” She smiled and went on to tell her mother about the construction they had started on the house. Waverly explained what the plans were and what needed to be done to complete the project. They grabbed their baggage off the carousel and continued talking about it on the way out of the airport. Andrea told them that she was excited about their new adventure together and couldn’t wait to see the place in December.    
  


 

“So,” Andrea began, breaking the silence that had fallen over the pair during the car ride home. “There’s something I have to tell you before we get home.” Nicole turned her head toward her mother, suddenly concerned. “Your grandparents insisted on coming for the twins’ birthday this year.” 

“Okay?” Nicole was confused. “Don’t they every year?” 

Andrea’s dad and step mother didn’t live too far from them growing up so had grown pretty accustomed to seeing them for birthdays and holidays. She wasn’t sure what the big deal was this time around. 

“Not my parents,” Andrea told her. Nicole’s eyes widened in realization that she meant her father’s parents.

“Dad’s parents?” She asked, already knowing the answer. She saw her mom nod out of the corner of her eye. She slumped back further in her seat. “When are they coming?” 

“They’re at the house already,” Andrea said. 

“You left the twins alone with them?” Nicole asked. 

“Nicky,” Andrea said in a warning tone. 

“Mom,” Nicole said in the same tone. She felt Waverly place her hand on her shoulder from the seat behind her. She let out a breath of air, relaxing under her touch. 

“I’m sorry, Nicky,” Andrea said. “They insisted.” Her tone was extremely apologetic. It wasn’t that Nicole was trying to be difficult, she just didn’t have a good past with her grandparents. 

“Do I have to be civil?” Nicole sighed. 

“The kids are excited to see them,” Andrea told her. 

Nicole cringed a little. ‘Fine,’ was all she said. She turned her head to stare out the window, Waverly’s hand still on her shoulder. She knew she’d be doing more explaining when they got back to the house. 

  
  
  
  
  


When they arrived in the driveway, Nicole let out a sigh at the sight of her grandparent’s car parked next to them. She slowly climbed out of the car and made her way to the trunk to collect their bags. She swung Waverly’s backpack over her shoulder and pulled both suitcases out of the trunk. 

“I can take my bag,” Waverly told her. 

“Too late,” Nicole grinned back at her. Waverly shook her head at her, but didn’t protest. They made their way toward the house. Before they went inside, Nicole turned to Waverly and apologized in advance about her grandparents. 

They entered the house and were immediately greeted by Daniel running up to them, giving them hugs. Megan stood back a little further in the doorway, but followed suit soon after. They made their way a little further into the house to see Nicole’s grandparents sitting at the table in the kitchen. They stood when the pair entered the room. Nicole forced a smile and said hello, hugging her grandparents one at a time. She introduced them to Waverly, gesturing toward the brunette behind her. 

“Ward’s daughter! Of course!” Her grandmother said with a smile. Nicole wasn’t sure that she had seen her grandmother smile very often, so it was a little weird for her at first. Maybe they’ve had a change of heart lately and have become semi-decent people in the last year. She hadn’t seen enough yet to put down her wall though. Waverly politely said ‘hello’ and shook their hands. The pair ended up excusing themselves a little while later to put their bags upstairs and freshen up before dinner. 

As soon as they were inside the bedroom, Nicole shut the door behind them and locked it. She dropped the bags and plopped down on the bed. Waverly slowly walked up to Nicole. “You want to talk about it?” she asked, sitting down on the bed next to her. Nicole grunted and laid back on the bed. “Babe,” Waverly said. 

“They’re just,” Nicole started. She paused for a moment, trying to come up with the words to explain Joe and Barb Haught. “Not that pleasant,” was how she ended up describing them.

“They didn’t seem too bad,” Waverly told her. 

“You don’t know them like I do,” Nicole huffed. She realized her tone, but didn’t apologize right away. 

“I know,” Waverly said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s okay,” Nicole said quickly. “They’ve just never been the best people, you know? It’s amazing how my father turned out the way that he did with parents like his.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Waverly asked.

“I just don’t get why they’re here. Are they trying to make up for all the years they weren’t?” Nicole huffed. The question wasn’t really for Waverly to answer, just more of Nicole venting. “They want to suddenly be a part of the twin’s lives now that their son is dead? Maybe it’s to fix their conscience for never being supportive to their own kid.” She let out a long sigh and Waverly laid down on the bed next to her. She pressed her hand against Nicole’s stomach, offering support, allowing her to continue to vent. “They told my dad that he should send me to a conversion therapy camp,” Nicole admitted. 

Waverly’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“When I came out to him. That was their suggestion,” Nicole told her. “My dad told them off that day,” she remembers. 

“Nicole, I’m sorry,” Waverly said. 

“We didn’t see them for almost 3 years. Even with him being as sick as he was. They wouldn’t even see him in the hospital because he supported his gay child,” she huffed. “I just don’t really talk about them much. I didn’t think they’d show up, I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” Waverly said, almost in a whisper. She placed her hand on Nicole’s cheek, moving her head to face her. “Don’t apologize,” she said. “Your feelings are valid.” Nicole didn’t speak at first, but stared into Waverly’s eyes instead. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. 

“Thank you,” she said. There was a knock at the door and Waverly jumped up to answer it. As she opened the door, Daniel and Megan smiled back at her from the other side. Waverly smiled and gestured for them to come in. 

“Are you going to hide up here the entire time?” Megan asked, sitting down on the bed next to her sister. 

“No, sorry,” Nicole said softly. “Just tired.”

“Don’t lie, you’re not excited that grandma and grandpa are here,” Daniel said, plopping down on the corner of the bed. “And totally understandable,” he added. 

“Mom said you were excited they’re here,” Nicole told them. 

“I mean, it’s kind of cool that they made a little effort,” Daniel admitted. “But don’t think for a second I’m going to let them be assholes to you.”

“What makes you think that would happen?” Nicole asked.

“Please, Nicky,” Megan huffed. “We’re not dumb,” she laughed. Nicole laughed and shook her head.

“It’s not your problem,” she told them. “I don’t want you guys to not have a relationship with them because I don’t really.”

“Well, you know we’re not going to sit here and let anyone be an ass to you either,” he huffed. Nicole smiled at her brother. She didn’t want to take away the twins’ chance to have a relationship with their grandparents, but it made her happy that they’re willing to fight for her too. 

“Maybe we should get back downstairs before they all come looking for us,” Nicole suggested with a laugh. “Are they staying here overnight?” she asked.

“Hotel,” Megan told her. Nicole was internally more excited knowing that she wouldn’t have to see them the entire time they were in town. 

The group made their way downstairs and joined their mother and grandparents in the kitchen. Andrea was preparing dinner for the family. Nicole asked if she needed any help and the twins and Waverly sat at the table, making small talk with their grandparents. As she helped her mother, Nicole made constant glances at the table to check on Waverly and her grandparents. She didn’t trust that they wouldn’t make her uncomfortable with comments they could be making. 

As soon as Andrea told Nicole she didn’t need anymore help, she quickly joined the group at the table. She heard them asking Waverly about her family and the ski resort. 

“How’s that sister of yours?” Barb asked. “I bet she’s just as pretty as you.” 

“She’s good,” Waverly laughed. “Probably prettier,” she said. 

“Does she have a husband?” Joe asked. Nicole groaned internally. He could have just asked if she was married, not emphasize so much on the husband part of the question. 

“Oh, no,” Waverly laughed. “Not yet.” 

“Your father always feared having only daughters,” Barb added. “He was afraid he’d have to scare off all the boys as you two got older.” Nicole rolled her eyes at the comment. She wasn’t sure if it was just her being too sensitive, but the amount of heterosexual comments being added into the conversation was enough to make her blood start to boil. 

“Nicky,” Joe started. “Tell me, how’s college?” Nicole sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. She wished her mother had filled them in before she arrived so she didn’t have to answer these kinds of questions. Waverly glanced at her and smiled. Something in her seemed to calm down a little with the help of Waverly’s smile. She sat down at the table next to her girlfriend.

“It’s not, grandpa,” Nicole started. “I’m notun school anymore.” 

“You quit?” He asked. 

“I have other plans,” Nicole explained. 

“Nicky is going to be a cop!” Daniel told them, trying to ease some of the tension. 

“That’s the plan,” Nicole added. “I applied at the police academy, I’m just waiting to hear back.”

“Well, I think that’s great, Nicky,” Barb smiled. Nicole let out a breath that she seemed to be holding. 

“Really?” Nicole asked. 

“Yes, the world could use more female cops,” she told her. Nicole smiles back at them. She reached under the table, taking Waverly’s hand in her own.

Andrea served dinner to the table and joined them to eat. The dinner conversation went fairly smooth. From time to time, their grandparents made comments that Nicole wasn’t too keen with, but she would bite her tongue and continue to be civil for the sake of the rest of her family. A few times, Andrea would change the subject if she felt that it was going in a direction that would make someone uncomfortable. They seemed to light up at the fact that Megan had a boyfriend and told her that they couldn’t wait to meet him at their party the next day. 

After dinner, their grandparents stuck around for a little while, then told the family that they were going to retire to this hotel for the night, making plans to come back by the early afternoon for the party. They said their goodbyes and the rest of the family settled into the living room to watch a movie. 

  
  
  
  
  


Nicole climbed in bed that night while Waverly was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. She laid back on the pillow and started scrolling through her phone. When Waverly entered the room, she looked up at her, placing her phone on the nightstand next to the bed. Waverly climbed in next to the redhead, curling her body up into Nicole’s side. 

“Anything interesting on the internet?” Waverly asked, gesturing toward Nicole’s phone. 

“Not really,” Nicole laughed. She sighed and kissed Waverly on the cheek. “Thanks for being here.” 

“Of course,” Waverly smiled. “Are you okay?” She asked. Nicole nodded. 

“I can handle another day,” she assured her. “They seem like they’re trying. I hope they haven’t made you uncomfortable.” 

“I can hold my own,” Waverly shot her a quick wink. “I’m more worried about your feelings.” 

“It’s just weird,” Nicole admitted. “We didn’t see them often growing up, even when my dad wasn’t sick. But as long as I can remember they’ve always been like that. They make comments that people excuse as them being ‘old school.’ I was deathly afraid to talk to my dad about being gay for years because of them.”

“But he didn’t care, right?” Waverly asked. 

“Not even in the slightest,” Nicole sighed. “I saw more and more why he didn’t feel close with his parents.” 

“Not everyone is a product of their environment,” Waverly said. 

“Thank god,” Nicole laughed, turning to face Waverly. “I’m not about to let them ruin my time with my siblings though,” Nicole told her. 

“You’re a good big sister,” Waverly smiled. Nicole started drawing shapes on Waverly’s skin with her fingers. “Promise me something?” 

“Yeah?” Nicole asked.

“Don’t push your feelings aside because you want other people to be happy,” Waverly said. Nicole sighed, thinking about how well the brunette actually did know her. She nodded and pressed her forehead against Waverly’s.

“Fine,” she said. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next morning was filled with birthday party preparations. Andrea thanked Nicole and Waverly several times throughout the morning for all their help. Both sets of grandparents arrived shortly before the party started. Andrea’s parents were thrilled to meet Waverly and catch up with Nicole on her new adventures living in Purgatory. Nicole felt a sense of calm come over her when she was around them, a much different feeling than she gets around her father’s parents. 

As the party went on, the house began to fill with teenagers. Nicole and Waverly mingled throughout the party, making sure nobody needed anything. They ended up in the living room, followed by Barb and Joe Haught, sitting on the other couch in the room. They started to make small talk, Nicole didn’t feel uncomfortable yet. She even started to think that maybe they were actually making a real change to make an effort with them, despite their opinion of what a real relationship looked like.

“You look so much like your father,” Barb told her with a smile. 

“That’s what I’ve been told,” Nicole smiled. She was proud of that fact. 

“You’re independent like him too,” she told her. 

“It’s a good quality to have,” Waverly smiled. She placed her hand gently on Nicole’s leg. Nicole thought about having her move it, but made a decision to let her keep it there. 

“Independent or defiant?” Joe asked.

“Stop, Joe,” Barb warned. Nicole was surprised that she was standing up against him. 

“Your dad didn’t like to follow rules. Not ours at least,” Joe huffed. 

“He still turned out to be a good man. He was a good dad,” Nicole told him. “If I could be half the parent he was, I’d be happy,” she smiled. 

“Too bad we won’t find out, right?” Joe asked. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nicole became immediately defensive. 

“Well, it’s a little difficult to have children without a man, right?” He continued. 

Nicole’s eyes widened. “I think becoming a parent will be my choice whether I want to or not.”

“Don’t you think kids deserve two parents?” Joe asked. 

“What makes you think they wouldn’t have two?” Nicole asked. She was trying to keep her cool. Waverly tightened her grip on her leg. 

“I think he just means that you both can’t be related to them,” Barb tried to defend her husband. 

“Are you two that far behind the times that you can’t wrap your head around the concept of two parents of the same gender?” Nicole huffed.

“What’s happening in here?” Andrea asked. She entered the room when she heard her daughter’s voice becoming louder. 

“We’re just talking to Nicky about her plans to become a parent some day,” Barb smiled.

“No, they’re telling me I won’t be the parent unless I carry the child,” Nicole corrected her. “Apparently because biologically related to someone is more important than being there for them.”

“Nicky,” Andrea warned

“No! You two weren’t even here for dad when he was sick!” Nicole yelled at her grandparents. “And you’re going to sit here and tell me I wouldn’t be a parent to my own children if I don’t carry them?”

“Okay, this conversation is over,” Andrea told them. Nicole huffed and stood up from the couch. She stormed out of the room and out to the backyard, finding a seat on a swing set on the edge of the yard. Waverly stood up slowly and politely smiled at Andrea, excusing herself from the room. She was confronted by Daniel who asked her what was going on. She explained that Nicole was upset without going into details. He looked into the living room to see his mother sitting with their grandparents. Daniel huffed and made his way into the room. 

“Hey,” Waverly said, softly as she walked up behind Nicole. She wrapped her arms around the redhead’s shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.

“Careful,” Nicole said. “The gay police are probably watching.” She rolled her eyes.

“Fuck ‘em,” Waverly whispered in her ear, causing the redhead to smile. 

“Waverly Earp,” Nicole said, turning around to see her girlfriend behind her. “You rarely curse,” she laughed. 

“Some situations deserve it,” Waverly flashed a smile at her. She wrapped her arms tighter around Nicole. “If we have babies someday, and you don’t carry them, they’re just as much yours as they are mine,” she told her. 

“I know,” Nicole sighed. “I would never think any differently of them.” 

“I know you wouldn’t,” Waverly smiled. “That’s if you want to keep me for that long,” she teased. 

“I’ll keep you forever if you let me,” Nicole told her. She moved to the side to allow Waverly to come around the swing. Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist and pulled her onto her lap, moving the swing back and forth a little. 

“Deal,” Waverly smiled. She leaned in to kiss the redhead. They kissed for a moment until they heard someone walk up behind them. 

“Hey guys,” Nicole said as her siblings joined them on the swings that were on the other side of her. 

“Are you okay?” Megan asked. 

“I’m fine,” Nicole told them. “I don’t want to take you away from your friends.”

“We asked grandma and grandpa to leave,” Megan told her.

“Wait, what?” Nicole asked. “You did?” 

“Nicole, we know you don’t live here, but this is your home too. We’re not going to make you uncomfortable here,” Daniel explained. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Nicole told them. “They’re your grandparents.” 

“But you’re our sister,” Megan explained. “You’ve been here the entire time, not just when you felt it was right.” 

“And listen, if you guys have kids, they’re going to be our family too. I’m not going to let anyone knock you for that,” Daniel told her.

“You’re going to make me cry on your birthday,” Nicole laughed. 

“Well, don’t do that,” Megan teased. “Waverly, control your girl,” she joked. Waverly laughed and shook her head. “Also, we need you two for cake soon.” 

“Okay,” Nicole laughed. “We’ll be right there,” she told them. “Thanks, guys.” 

The twins left Waverly and Nicole alone on the swings for a few more moments. The pair then agreed that they should probably join the party again. They sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the twins and helped Andrea pass out cake. They spent most of the rest of the party talking with Andrea and her parents. Every once in a while, they would walk around the party to mingle with the kids, but found themselves migrating back to the adults. 

  
  
  
  
  


The rest of the week was spent with the family, taking random trips into the city and just spending time together before they were heading back home. The day before they left for Purgatory was the one year anniversary of Nicole’s dad’s death. As a family, they decided that would go to the cemetery to lay flowers on his grave and go out to eat at his favorite restaurant to honor his memory. Nicole was glad to have Waverly there with them that day. She was patient and understanding with her all day, barely letting go of her hand when they were together. 

Nicole thanked Waverly several times throughout the day for being there and Waverly would respond telling her there was nowhere else she’d rather be. The end of the night was spent watching home videos of the family when the kids were little. Nicole was embarrassed to show Waverly some of the videos but Waverly assured her that it was adorable and she got over it quickly, just enjoying the time spent with her family while they were still in the city. The more they watched, the more she thought about having a family with Waverly some day. She couldn’t think of anything better than raising children together and just growing old with the brunette. 

  
  



	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’ve officially reached the end. Thank you all again for reading, it really means a lot to me!

Time was flying in Nicole and Waverly’s life together in Purgatory. They had finished the house enough for them to move into it by November of that year. They spent the rest of the month trying to get it just the way they wanted it in time for the holidays. Nicole’s family was coming back toward the end of December like they had the previous year. She hadn’t seen them in person since April and she was excited to spend time with them again. Their plane was landing soon and Nicole was already ready to go, waiting by the door for Waverly so they could go pick them up from the airport. 

“Hey, babe, hurry up! We’re going to be late!” Nicole called out to Waverly from across the house. She heard no response and began to grow a little frustrated when there was a knock at the door. Nicole looked at the door, confused, and turned to open it. When the door swung open, her family stood on the other side. 

“Hey! What are you guys doing here?” Nicole asked, confused. “We were just about to leave to go to the airport!”

“We got in a little early, figured we’d surprise you!” Andrea said with a smile on her face. 

“Come in!” Nicole said, excited. She gestured for her family to enter her house, closing the door behind her. “Waves!” She called out again.

“Sorry, sorry!” Waverly came running into the room. “Oh! They’re here!” She said, cheerfully. “Hello!” Waverly approached Andrea with her arms open for a hug. “You’re early!” 

“We figured we’d save you the trip,” Andrea smiled as she pulled away from the hug. 

“My goodness, you got tall!” Waverly laughed as she pulled Daniel into a hug. 

“Maybe you’re just short,” he teased. 

“I see you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” Waverly laughed. 

“I’m always on my a-game,” Daniel laughed. Megan pushed her brother out of the way as she moved in to give Waverly and Nicole hugs. 

After they said their hellos, Nicole offered to give her family the tour of their new house. She was excited to show off what they had been working so hard on. Her family was excited to see it too. She showed them to the guest rooms that they would be staying in. Andrea joked about always having a place to crash now whenever they came to visit. Nicole and Waverly agreed that they might as well continue to stay with them. Waverly could tell that Nicole was excited to have her family there. She stepped back a little, allowing her to show the place off. 

After the tour, the group settled in to eat dinner. The pair had ordered food to be delivered that night so they didn’t have to spend too much time cooking. After dinner, Nicole insisted that Waverly take the twins in to watch a movie while she and her mom cleaned up. 

“Mom I wanted to talk to you about something,” Nicole started, gesturing for her mother to follow her into the other room. “I wanted to ask Waverly to marry me.”

“Oh Nicky! That’s wonderful,” Andrea said, cheerfully. 

“I’ve been picking out a ring for a while and I think I found the right one,” Nicole told her as she pulled a ring box out of her pocket. 

“Nicky, that’s beautiful!” Andrea told her as she looked at the ring. 

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Nicole asked, nervously. 

“I think she’ll love it,” Andrea smiled. 

“Thank you for supporting my decisions through all of this mom,” Nicole said. “I’m not sure if I’ve thanked you enough.”

“Sweetheart, I knew you’d figure it out someday,” Andrea told her. “I wasn’t worried about that. Your father would be really proud of you. And probably a little jealous,” she laughed.

“Why jealous?” Nicole asked. 

“He loved this place,” Andrea told her. “He talked about the possibility of coming back here someday to live with the family. I remember when he first told me about it, ‘it would be a great place for the kids to grow up’ he always said,” she smiled at the memory. 

“He’s right. But you guys did what you had to,” Nicole assures her. “We grew up in a great place too, mom.”

“Maybe I’ll get some grandbabies growing up out here?” She asked, winking at her daughter. 

Nicole shook her head and laughed. “Let me ask about marriage first,” she told her. 

“Deal,” Andrea smiled. “So what are you going to pop the question?”

“I think while everyone is here,” she smiled. “Maybe New Year’s Eve? Is that too much?” She asked. 

“You do what feels right to you,” Andrea told her. “We’d love to be there,” she smiled. 

“Thanks, mom,” Nicole smiled. She glanced down at the ring once more before sliding the box back into her pocket. She smiled at the thought of making Waverly her wife someday

“Hey, there you are,” Waverly said from the doorway. Nicole quickly shifted, hoping she didn’t see the box she just put into her pocket. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Waverly said. 

“Oh, no, you’re not interrupting,” Nicole told her. “We were just catching up.”

“It’s so great to see you again, Waverly,” Andrea smiled. “Is my daughter treating you well?” she flashed a smile at her daughter. 

“She’s the best,” Waverly assured her. 

“She really is,” Andrea smiled. Waverly, Nicole and Andrea then moved back into the kitchen to actually clean up from dinner. The process went quickly with three of them. After dinner, they all joined the twins in the living room to finish watching their movie with them.   
  
  
  
  
  


“So did you miss me?” Nicole asked her brother later that night before they all went off to bed.  

“Meh,” he huffed. 

“Whatever,” she laughed, pushing him a little. 

“I did,” he admitted. Nicole really did miss having her siblings close to her. She always found hanging out with them fun, even if they all made fun of each other most of the time. 

“I’ve been working on the slopes a lot more,” Nicole told him. “I’ll see if you remember everything I taught you last winter,” she laughed.

“Maybe I’ll give you a run for your money again,” Daniel said, flashing her a dimpled smile.   
  
  
  
  
  


The rest of the week was spent with a lot of snowboarding and family time, much like the last winter trip to the ski resort. Nicole hoped that this would become a habit where her family would visit for the holidays. It really helped that they were there during that time of year. 

New Year’s Eve was spent at the annual party that Gus threw in the main cabin. This year was a little less dramatic with the lack of Hardy’s in the area. No one had seen or heard from them since the day Doc made them leave. They hadn’t heard from Doc either. Wynonna seemed to move on from that time in her life. She finally gave in to her feelings for Dolls and Nicole thought they actually made a pretty good couple. He seemed to ground her a lot more than she is on her own.

Just after midnight, Nicole excused herself to go use the bathroom and didn’t come back for a bit. Waverly grew a little concerned and started to look around for her. She realized that Gus and Nicole’s family were gone as well. Wynonna came up to her and lead her into another room in the cabin that was lit up with candlelight.

“Are you taking me on a date?” Waverly joked with her sister as she entered the room. Over near the fireplace, Waverly finally spotted Nicole, standing alone with the rest of the family nearby. Waverly smiled at the redhead as she gestured for her to join her in front of the fireplace. Waverly walked up to her and stood quietly in front of her, waiting for Nicole to speak.

“Waverly, ever since I laid eyes on you again last year, I’ve known that this day would come,” Nicole began. She stared into Waverly’s eyes, that were not filling with tears of joy. “You, Waverly Earp, are the best part of my days and I can’t imagine this life without you in it. You challenge me to do better, you guide me when I need it most and you’ve always been a shoulder to lean on since we were kids.” The smile on Waverly’s face continued to grow with every word she spoke, causing Nicole to do the same. “I’m ready to take the next step in life with you, if you are. So with that being said,” she pulled the ring out of her pocket, dropping to one knee. “Waverly Earp, will you be my wife?” She asked. 

Waverly nodded through her smiles and tears. She gestured for Nicole to stand up, but before she could fully rise from her knee, Waverly was already kissing her. The kiss depended like they were the only two in existence. “Yes,” Waverly said, in almost a whisper, as they pulled apart. Nicole smiles and slid the ring into the brunette’s finger. 

Waverly couldn’t stop looking down at the ring on her finger for the rest of the night. Nicole would catch her doing it and smile back at her. She found herself holding Waverly’s left hand a lot, feeling the ring under her fingers. 

Later that night, the pair was laying in bed together. “So you really want to marry me?” Nicole asked. 

“I’d marry you everyday,” Waverly smiled back at her. “This ring is so beautiful, baby.” She held her hand up to see the ring again. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Nicole smiles, laying kisses on Waverly’s lips. 

  
  
  
  


Over the course of the next year, Nicole and Waverly begin planning their wedding. It turned into a lot of Nicole agreeing with almost everything Waverly threw  at her. Waverly became irritated with that, wanting Nicole to make some of her own choices. She even started throwing out things that she knew were too much to see if Nicole would notice. 

“Are you even listening to me?” Waverly asked, frustrated. Nicole was sitting at her desk, flipping through some papers. 

“Yeah, baby, why?” she asked as she glanced up from what she was doing.  

“Because I just suggested shooting 100 live doves from a canon and you agreed,” Waverly huffed. Nicole sighed and put the papers down on her desk, turning her body fully around to make eye contact with the brunette.  

“Sorry,” she said. 

“What’s going on?” Waverly asked. She walked up behind the redhead and started rubbing her shoulders.  

“Nothing, I’m just thinking about the academy. I’m sorry,” Nicole told her. 

“It’s okay,” Waverly said, understanding. “I just thought you wanted to do this before you go,” she said. Nicole knew she was trying to keep busy and her mind off of the fact that she wouldn’t be seeing much of Nicole in the upcoming months while she’s at the academy.

“I do, baby. My head is just in a lot of places right now,” Nicole explained. “I’m sorry,” she said again. 

“Come here,” Waverly said as she walked back around to the front of the redhead. She reached her hand out and Nicole took it right away. Waverly lead her to the couch and they sat down together. “I’m sorry if I’m stressing you out,” she told her. 

“It’s not that, Waves,” Nicole explained. “I don’t want you to think I’m not excited about planning a wedding, because I swear I am,” she smiled. “I’m just getting a little nervous about this whole police academy thing.”

“Nicole,” Waverly cupped the redhead’s face in her hands. “I know it’s scary and you don’t know exactly what to expect yet. But you’re going to be great,” she smiled. Nicole took a deep breath in and closed her eyes before letting the breath out. Waverly took her hand and placed it on Nicole’s heart. “You got this.” Nicole nodded and opened her eyes to see Waverly smiling back at her. She always had a way of calming her down.    
  
  
  
  


The day finally arrived where Nicole was graduating from the police academy. She felt a huge weight lift off of her chest as she prepared to move on to the next step of her life of becoming a police officer in Purgatory. Her family had flown in from the city and joined Waverly, Gus and even Wynonna and Dolls in the audience of the ceremony. Nicole was slightly embarrassed by the amount of cheering she heard during the ceremony, but she smiled to herself inside her head when she heard them. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Waverly said to the redhead as she walked toward her and the rest of her family that was there supporting her. 

“Thank you, Waves,” Nicole smiled as she pulled her in for a hug. Nicole gave hugs to the rest of the group. Wynonna held her a little longer than she normally does.

“Wynonna,” Nicole grunted. “You’re squeezing too hard,” she laughed.

“Welcome to the force, Haught,” Wynonna told her as she pulled away from the hug. 

“Well, I already got you out of one bind, I might as well help out wherever I can,” Nicole shot the brunette a wink, causing Wynonna to shake her head at her. 

After the ceremony was over, the group all went out to dinner to celebrate. Nicole took a moment to look around the table at the smiling faces of her friends and family. Her heart never felt so full and at that moment in time, she was extremely proud of the choices that she had made over the past couple of years to get her to where she was. 

  
  
  
  


Their wedding day arrived in the Spring of the following year. Nicole woke up that morning with bigger butterflies in her stomach than she had ever experienced before. She didn’t have any doubt in her mind, however, about marrying Waverly that day. She was looking forward to starting their life as a married couple. 

As she made her way down the aisle later that day, her face hurt from all the smiling she was doing looking into the eyes of her bride-to-be. As soon as she stood next to Waverly, taking her hands in her own, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. She stared into Waverly’s eyes, trying to focus on what the officiant was saying. The ceremony was mostly a blur, but she still considered it to be the best day of her life thus far. 

The rest of the night was filled with dancing, friends and family. Nicole found herself in the corner of the room at one point, just watching everyone interact with each other. She felt someone stand next to her and she turned to see Waverly smiling at her. 

“What’s up?” Waverly asked.

“Nothing,” Nicole smiled. “I’m just watching for a moment,” she told her. “You look so beautiful, Waverly.” The smile on Waverly’s face grew bigger than before. She pushed up on her toes a little to place a soft kiss on Nicole’s lips. 

“I love you so much,” Waverly said. 

“I love you too,” Nicole told her, leaning back in for another kiss. 

  
  
  
  


“I’ve been thinking a lot about babies,” Waverly spit out one random afternoon that the pair had off together. They had been married for about 3 months and Nicole was working at the police station for almost a year, becoming more established in the area. 

“Yeah?” Nicole asked, looking up from the book she was reading. “What about them?” she teased. Waverly plopped down on the couch next to her. Nicole put the book down on the end table next to the couch and opened her arms to have Waverly lean back into them.

“I think I’m ready,” Waverly told her.

“You think?” Nicole asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t want children with Waverly, she just wanted her to be sure.  

“I’m ready,” Waverly smiled. “Are you ready?” she asked. Nicole smiled and nodded at Waverly. 

“Let’s do it,” Nicole said, flashing a dimpled smile at the brunette. 

  
  
  
  


Almost a year later, Waverly was just shy of being 9 months pregnant. She was to the point of having difficulty falling asleep at night and when she was lucky enough to do that, she had difficulty staying asleep. One night, about a week before her due date, she had fallen asleep more easily than normal. Nicole was having difficulty sleeping that night and found herself wandering into the nursery that they had set up in one of their spare bedrooms. After a few moments of sitting in the silence, she heard a creak in the hallway and turned around to see Waverly standing in the doorway. 

“Sorry, baby,” Nicole said, softly. “Did I wake you?” she asked.

“No,” Waverly said. “I thought maybe I’d make it through the night this time, but this little guy won’t stop moving,” she said, gesturing to her pregnant stomach. “What are you doing up?”

“Are you sure we’re ready for this?” Nicole asked, suddenly. 

“Well, I think it’s a little late, right?” Waverly chuckled, running her hand over her stomach. 

“What if I’m a terrible mother?” Nicole asked nervously. 

“Nicole,” Waverly said, placing her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “I don’t think there’s any way in the world that you’d be a terrible mother,” she assured her. 

“How do you know? What if I mess him up?” Nicole continued asking questions. 

“I guess I don’t know for sure,” Waverly said. “But I know you and I know your heart. You’re extremely patient and kind. I believe in you and trust that you’re going to give our child everything you can,” she told her. Nicole smiled up at her wife, feeling a little more calm than she did before. She leaned over and kissed Waverly’s stomach. 

“I love you both,” Nicole smiled. She stood up from the chair. “Let’s try to get some sleep,” she said, gesturing back toward their bedroom. 

  
  
  
  


Being a parent was never not scary for Nicole, but she felt a little better at it than she expected. Their son, Benjamin Daniel Haught was born a week after his due date. Nicole joked that he was stubborn like Waverly. The first few years of his life seemed to fly by for the pair. They started talking about having another baby. Nicole used to think that one child was enough, but the thought of having a bigger family was becoming more and more exciting to her. They had been trying to a few months to get pregnant again and didn’t have any luck. They figured they would try once more before they moved on to trying different methods.

“Baby!” Waverly called out as she entered their bedroom one morning, waking Nicole up. 

“What?!” Nicole yelled, she woke up quickly and jumped out of bed in fear that Waverly was hurt or something bad was happening. 

“We’re pregnant!” Waverly called out with a huge smile on her face. She was holding the positive pregnancy test, bringing it over to show Nicole. Nicole smiled and pulled Waverly into a kiss, deepening it right away. 

  
  
  
  


Baby number two came on her due date, unlike their first child. This time, Nicole joked that she was ‘ready for the world whether the world was ready for her or not.’ This scared Nicole in a way. She felt that this child was going to be strong willed. She was right. Layla Marie Haught was actually a lot more stubborn than her older brother. They loved it though. They never feared that she was going to be controlled by society and conform to any kind of ‘norm’ she wasn’t okay with. 

The kids were very close growing up. Benjamin was a great big brother, almost too protective at times. There were a few years in their younger teenage years that they didn’t get along too well. They would both ask their parents why they didn’t have a third child to replace the other one. Waverly and Nicole would laugh and shake their heads at their kids and tell them that they’re all they get so they better get along. The older they got, the more they appreciated each other. On the day of Benjamin’s graduation, Layla seemed a little off. 

“You okay?” Waverly asked her daughter. 

“Yeah,” she responded, softly. 

“You’ll miss him,” Waverly said. Layla nodded at her mother. “Me too,” Waverly sighed.    
  


“I can’t believe you’re going away to college soon,” Nicole sighed, placing her hand on her son’s shoulder. 

“It’ll be weird,” Benjamin admitted. “I’m going to have to learn how to surf with the lack of snow there,” he laughed. 

“You better focus on your studies first,” Nicole warned him. “I’m not paying for you to go surfing all the time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed. “Don’t worry so much, mom.”

“You’ll always have a home here, you know?” Nicole reminded him.

“Are you kidding? I know! I don’t think I could ever leave this place totally behind,” he admitted. 

“So you liked growing up here?” she asked. 

“I mean, besides having a cop for a mom, you can’t get away with anything,” he teased. 

Nicole laughed and shook her head at her son. I still can’t believe you’ve graduated high school. Before I know it you’ll be married with your own kids!” she said. “Don’t make me a grandma too soon,” she warned. 

“I’ll try not to,” he teased. “But I kinda need a life partner for that,” he laughed. 

“Someone we will approve of,” she told him, almost in a warning tone. 

“Maybe I’ll find someone who looks at me the way you look at mom,” he smiled. 

“What?” Nicole asked, confused. 

“You look at her like you’ve never seen something so special. Like it’s the first time you’ve ever laid eyes on her,” Benjamin explained. 

“I haven’t,” Nicole told him. “Beside you guys. I’m lucky to have you all and I’m never taking that for granted.”

“I always thought we were the lucky ones,” he admitted.  

“You’ll find it someday, Ben,” Nicole told him. “And don’t accept any less.”

“I think you’ve set some pretty high standards on how to love someone,” he smiled as Waverly and Layla made their way over to the pair. Nicole smiled back at her son, then at the rest of her family. When Waverly was standing next to her, she wrapped her arms around the brunette, kissing her gently on the cheek. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. She now had a new best day of her life. She thought about how many more best days she would have until the last. She knew she had everything she needed right there, at that moment in time, and couldn’t wait to see what was still to come in this life that she was so grateful to live.  


End file.
